Easton Cowan recorded a goal and an assist in the first period, powering the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on October 1, 2026, at Scotiabank Arena. The win marks the first victory for new Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller, helping Toronto bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in their season opener.
Cowan and Sissons Build Early Maple Leafs Lead
The Islanders controlled the opening minutes before Toronto seized momentum. Colton Sissons opened the scoring at 7:14 of the first period, redirecting a shot from Nicholas Paul following strong forechecking work by Cowan in the left corner. According to Field Level Media, Toronto extended its lead during a power play at 11:55 when Victor Eklund served a cross-checking penalty against John Tavares. Morgan Rielly knocked down a clearing attempt at the blue line and fed Jack Roslovic at the left face-off dot. Roslovic fired a shot that produced a rebound off Ilya Sorokin’s left pad, allowing Cowan to jam the puck home near the right post.
“That was just a skilled guy making a skilled play,” Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz said of the sequence. “And kudos to Roslovic after Rielly got it to him, and he shoots for that POP (pass off pad), and it goes back to the selflessness. I think guys are understanding that we can create some offense. You may not get the goal, but you’re going to get a nice assist, and kudos to Cowan just standing right there. Right place at the right time.”
Cowan enters his second full NHL season after registering 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) across 66 games in 2025-26. The 21-year-old also captured a Calder Cup championship with the Toronto Marlies last season, contributing 18 points in 22 American Hockey League playoff games. “Anytime you are playing pro in the playoffs, it helps a lot,” Cowan said. “So, I have a lot of confidence heading into this year, and it was great to get that win, for sure.”
Stolarz Defense and Heineman Response
Stolarz preserved the two-goal advantage midway through the third period, denying Anthony Duclair at 6:38 by stretching backward with his right pad. “Probably a half scorpion-type save,” Stolarz said. “He just kept dragging it and dragging it and you’re just trying to do whatever it takes to make that save.” Stolarz finished the night with 26 saves.
The Islanders broke through at 14:09 of the final frame when Emil Heineman scored a short-handed goal. Heineman outraced William Nylander down the ice, accepted a saucer pass from Bo Horvat, and chipped the puck past Stolarz. The goal came during an Islanders penalty kill after Toronto went on the power play. New York pressed for an equalizer late in regulation with Sorokin pulled for an extra attacker, but the Maple Leafs cleared their zone to secure the 2-1 result.
“When we stopped turning pucks over and simplified our game a lot and got pucks behind them and started going to work, we were a lot more successful,” Horvat said.
Historic Draft Pick Milestone
Wednesday’s contest marked the first matchup between the players selected first overall in the NHL Draft: Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (2025) and Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna (2026). Schaefer logged a game-high 27:45 of ice time for New York and registered three shots. McKenna recorded one shot in 15:32 of ice time for Toronto.