3 most impressive players from Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-1 win over the New York Islanders feat. Steven Lorentz

The Toronto Maple Leafs finished 2024 on a good note, defeating the New York Islanders 3-1 this afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs head into 2025 with a 23-13-2 record and hold a tie for the Atlantic Division lead with the Florida Panthers (48 points), while the Isles fall to 14-17-7, remaining seventh in the Metropolitan Division.

The Maple Leafs were without their captain and best player, Auston Matthews, who was sidelined for his fifth consecutive game because of re-aggravation of his previous upper-body injury.

Toronto had struggled in his absence, going 1-3-0. They changed that this afternoon as the goaltending and depth players handled business.

It was a low-event start to the matinee matchup. Both teams were scoreless through 18 minutes of play until William Nylander made a pass from behind the net that David Kampf received and buried. The Leafs led 1-0 after the opening frame.

The second period had much more action. Both teams had goals taken away due to coaches' challenges for offside and goaltender interference.

Midway through the period, J.G. Pageau scored a goal that counted off a nice pass from Noah Dobson to tie the game up. Just 16 seconds later, fourth-line forward Steven Lorentz scored a highlight reel goal to regain the Maple Leafs lead.

Toronto held onto that lead backstopped by goaltender Joseph Woll's 30-save performance. John Tavares scored into the empty net with 37 seconds left to put the final stamp on a 3-1 Leafs victory.

After losing to the Islanders 6-3 on Dec. 21, Toronto got its revenge on New Year's Eve.

The Maple Leafs will travel to Long Island for a rematch on Thursday night with the Islanders at UBS Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Here are the three most impressive player performances from Toronto's 3-1 win over the Islanders.

3 most impressive players from Maple Leafs' 3-1 win over the Islanders

#1. Steven Lorentz

Lorentz came in clutch for the Maple Leafs, scoring the game-winning goal in a pretty rush and shooting past Ilya Sorokin. Despite playing just 8:28 minutes of ice time, the gritty depth forward made his presence felt with two hits and one shot on goal, which he certainly made count. It certainly was the depth production that Toronto was looking for.

#2. Joseph Woll

After a few tough games before the Christmas break, Joseph Woll had a big bounce-back performance this afternoon. Woll made 30 saves on 31 Islanders' shots, with 10 coming during New York's third-period push.

The Leafs hope he can continue the strong play and carry the load in Anthony Stolarz's injury absence.

#3. Chris Tanev

Maple Leafs fans must be so thankful to have Chris Tanev in Toronto. The league leader in blocked shots was his usual self this afternoon. He finished with one assist, four more blocks and a +1 rating in 17:37 minutes of action. It was a classic Tanev performance that we've all come to expect.