"Is this seriously a flex now for Toronto": Fans troll Maple Leafs' first home regulation win vs Coyotes in more than 21 years

Joseph Woll returned from injury to make 30 saves for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-2 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Woll's comeback marked his first after missing 35 consecutive games due to a high ankle sprain suffered on Dec. 7. The win also secured his first victory since Nov. 30.

William Nylander continued his impressive form by scoring a goal and providing two assists, extending his point streak to nine games. Auston Matthews added to the victory with his NHL-leading 53rd goal of the season. The Maple Leafs' recent success continued, as they improved to 8-1-0 in their last nine games.

Tyler Bertuzzi scored for the third consecutive game for the Coyotes, while Matthew Knies contributed a goal and an assist. However, it wasn't enough to break their losing streak, as the Coyotes suffered their 14th straight defeat (0-12-2).

This victory had particular importance for the­ Maple Leafs, as it signaled the­ir initial regulation-time home victory ove­r the Coyotes since Oct. 17, 2002 — a stretch of ove­r 21 years. Despite this, fans teased the­ Maple Leafs on social media for securing this win afte­r such a lengthy period:

Alex Kerfoot and Logan Cooley also found the net for the Coyotes, but goaltender Connor Ingram's 22 saves couldn't prevent another loss for Arizona.

Maple Leafs triumph over Coyotes despite late surge as Nylander's streak seals win

The game's momentum kicked off in the first period when Knies capitalized on a breakaway opportunity assisted by Mitch Marner, propelling Toronto to a 1-0 lead at 13:04.

The Leafs maintained their dominance into the second period, with Tyler Bertuzzi extending the lead to 2-0 at 1:05 by deflecting Lagesson's shot. Matthews broke his two-game goal drought, widening the gap to 3-0 at 13:12 after receiving a pass from Nylander.

However, the Coyotes retaliated as Kerfoot intercepted a pass and converted it into a breakaway goal, bringing Arizona within reach at 3-1 at 14:39. The third period saw Cooley capitalizing on a rebound opportunity, closing the gap further to 3-2 at 9:52.

Despite Arizona's relentless offensive efforts, outshooting Toronto 13-4 in the final period, Nylander secured the Maple Leafs' victory with an empty-net goal at 19:00, sealing the final score at 4-2. Nylander's empty-netter marked his 17th point during his impressive scoring streak.

Joseph Woll delighted with return and victory in post-game reflection

Joseph Woll expressed his satisfaction after the game:

“It was awesome. It’s been a few months. I’ve really been missing playing and to be able to play at our home building and to get a win like that was pretty nice."

Reflecting on his performance, he added:

"I felt good, I’ve had some practices to get back up to speed so I felt like I fit right back in."