Cowan and Sissons Score For Leafs First Win of The Season

Summary:

• The Toronto Maple Leafs have earned their first win of the season against the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
• Easton Cowan scored and added an assist in the 2-1 victory.
• The victory follows Toronto’s 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens the day before.

Easton Cowan scored once and added an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their first win of the 2026–27 NHL season, beating the New York Islanders 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Breath of Fresh Air After Tuesday’s Loss 

Colton Sissons also scored for Toronto, while Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves in his first appearance of the 2026-27 season. Emil Heineman scored for New York, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots.

The Maple Leafs opened the season with a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, while Wednesday marked the Islanders’ first game of the new campaign.

New York looked sharper early, but Toronto made the most of its opportunities.

Sissons opened the scoring at 7:14 of the first period, redirecting a Nick Paul setup for his first goal of the season.

COLTON SISSONS' FIRST AS A MAPLE LEAF! 🍁 pic.twitter.com/LV6Zcohsf4

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 1, 2026

Easton Cowan doubled the lead at 11:55, sweeping home a rebound on the power play after Morgan Rielly kept the puck inside the blue line and found Jack Roslovic for the initial shot.

FIRST 'YEEEHAWWW' OF THE SEASON! pic.twitter.com/ZMiTJSvFRH

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 1, 2026

Stolarz Kept the Islanders Off the Scoreboard

The two-goal cushion held for most of the night as Stolarz managed to prevent the Islanders from scoring.

One of his biggest saves came in the third period, when he stretched out his right pad to deny Anthony Duclair and preserve Toronto’s lead.

The Islanders eventually broke through with 5:51 remaining. Heineman scored shorthanded to cut the deficit to one, setting up a tense finish, but Toronto held on for the win.

For Stolarz, the performance was a positive start after an injury-interrupted 2025-26 season. The 32-year-old appeared in only 26 games last year, finishing with a 10-10-3 record, an .893 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average.

Cowan also continued the momentum he built during last season’s Calder Cup run with the Toronto Marlies. The forward recorded 18 points, including eight goals and 10 assists, in 22 playoff games as the Marlies won the AHL championship.

For the Islanders, rookie defenceman Matthew Schaefer enters the season with a notable target ahead of him. He scored 23 goals during his rookie campaign and needs two more to pass Bobby Orr for the second-most goals by a teenage defenceman in NHL history.

Toronto will return home Saturday to face the Ottawa Senators. The Islanders will host the New Jersey Devils on the same day.