Mitch Marner has easily been the MVP of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ season. With Auston Matthews in and out of the lineup due to a nagging injury, Marner stepped up and carried the team.

Matthew Knies recorded his first career hat-trick in a dominant five-point performance, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-4 victory over the Boston Bruins.

TORONTO — At about 6:28 p.m. ET, it was announced on the Scotiabank Arena center ice video screen that Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews had been named as forwards to the Toronto Maple Leafs Quarter-Century First Team, along with Hall of Famer Mats Sundin.

It's still too soon to be certain, but the Maple Leafs may be headed for a playoff showdown against either the Ottawa Senators or the Montreal Canadiens.

We’re not quite in the stretch run of the NHL season yet, but we’re past the halfway point and will soon see the true Stanley Cup contenders pull away from the also-rans.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.

On Feb. 12, the Toronto forward will exchange the blue-and-white maple leaf on his chest for the red-and-white one of Canada for the opener of the 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner became the fastest in team history to 700 career points when he assisted on an Auston Matthews goal during Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

William Nylander scored his second goal of the game at 1:10 of overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs battled back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in the third period to down the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Thursday.

It’s safe to assume NHL players forgo the usual health-related resolutions the rest of us double-down on this time of year. Being pro athletes in the prime of their lives and all, there are probably other things these fitness freaks can focus on.

Until the Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner and William Nylander realize why exactly fans are booing, there's no reason to believe anything will change when the playoffs begin.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving believes Auston Matthews will be more than ready for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off after returning to the lineup in January.