Easton Cowan's OT winner snaps nearly 9-year drought among all Leafs rookies

Heading into Thursday's clash with the Flyers in Philadelphia, the Toronto Maple Leafs were on quite the run, posting a 5-0-2 record in their last 7 games, collecting 12 of a possible 14 points along the way.

Now, thanks to Scott Laughton and Easton Cowan, the team has moved to 6-0-2 in their last 8 games, putting pressure on the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, the two teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race.

Cowan was the OT hero for the Leafs, marking the first time that a rookie player has scored an overtime goal for the organization since Auston Matthews' rookie year, when fellow rookie Kasperi Kapanen scored in Game 2 of the Leafs-Capitals playoff series. That game took place all the way back in 2017.

Cowan has been a bright spot for the Leafs this season, posting 13 points across 32 games in his rookie campaign. He's also a +4 rating, and after scoring goals in back-to-back games, he is playing with a great deal of confidence.

With the win, the Leafs (49 points) have moved to within just 1 point of the Sabres (50) and 2 points of the Pittsburgh Penguins (51) in the Wild Card race, though it bears mentioning that both the Pens and the Sabres have a game in hand.

The only problem for the red hot Maple Leafs right now is that the entire top of the Atlantic Division has also been on a roll.

With last night's victory, the team is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, but the Sabres have gone 9-1-0, the Canadiens have gone 7-1-2, the Red Wings have gone 7-2-1, and the Lightning have gone 8-2-0.

Also read on Toronto Hockey Daily :
Insider reveals Maple Leafs' plan to pivot after missing out on 6'3 defenseman