Tristan Jarry entered the 2025-26 season with a stated pursuit of having better starts to games.

And sure enough, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltender had a sterling first 40 minutes Monday in Toronto.

But the final 20 minutes? They were a problem.

Jarry and the Penguins were on the wrong side of a 4-3 come-from-ahead loss to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

All four of the Maple Leafs’ goals were scored in the third period. Jarry finished with 16 saves on 20 shots as his record slipped to 5-2-0.

“I could have played better and helped the team a lot more (last season),” Jarry said in Cranberry earlier this season. “This year, that’s what it’s about, helping the team and doing everything from my part of the rink and seeing how we can win some games.”

Jarry was unable to overcome the various defensive miscues in front of him and as a result, the Penguins failed to capitalize on a two-goal effort by rookie forward Ben Kindel.

“They obviously stepped up their game tremendously,” Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson said to reporters in Toronto via audio provided by the Penguins’ media relations department. “And we kind of faded a bit.”

Amplifying the Penguins’ woes was the loss of forward Noel Acciari, who left Monday’s contest because of an undisclosed ailment. He skated only two shifts in the contest and did not record any ice time beyond the 5:43 mark of the first period. There was no substantive word on his status beyond a social media posting from the team acknowledging his injury.

Karlsson’s first goal of the season opened the scoring 13:08 into regulation.

Off the right half-wall of Pittsburgh’s zone, Penguins forward Connor Dewar stole the puck off the stick of Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit and passed it to the defensive blue line for Penguins forward Philip Tomasino. With Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe closing in, Tomasino fed the pass to the left wing for forward Sidney Crosby, who proceeded to gain Toronto’s zone on the left wing. With Maple Leafs rookie forward Easton Cowan a bit out of position as the lone defender back, Crosby took advantage of that circumstance by slowing down on the left half-wall and allowing teammates to rush into the attack. As Tomasino drove down the slot, Karlsson flew in from the right wing and accepted Crosby’s pass in the right circle, then lasered a wrister to the near side by goaltender Anthony Stolarz’s glove, clinking it off the crossbar and into the cage. Crosby and Tomasino had assists.

Erik Karlsson - Pittsburgh Penguins (1) pic.twitter.com/gUwnvQRqAy

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 4, 2025

The visitors doubled their lead at 17:56 of the first period via Kindel’s fourth goal.

Corralling a clearing attempt at the right point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang offloaded the puck to the high slot for rookie forward Ville Koivunen, who then deferred to defenseman Ryan Shea, advancing from the left point. From just inside the near circle, Shea lifted a wrister to the far side, which Stolarz batted at with his glove. The rebound became airborne and as it made a return to earth, Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly tried to jab it out of danger only to direct it to the left of the cage. Crashing in, Kindel appeared to attempt swatting it in with his right hand, but the puck wound up striking his forearm and entering the cage. Following a brief conference, officials deemed it to be a legal goal. Shea and Koivunen collected assists.

#Penguins 2 @ #MapleLeafs 0 [P1–2:04]:

Goal: Ben Kindel (4)Deflection Shot

Assists: Unassisted#LetsGoPens #LeafsForever #NHL pic.twitter.com/tXtXSt32zW

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) November 4, 2025

Kindel struck again in a more orthodox fashion during a power-play sequence at 11:50 of the second frame.

Gathering a rebound on the right half-wall of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin calmly surveyed the scene and even directed forward Bryan Rust to clear a broken stick out of the right circle. Once Rust decontaminated the passing lane, Kindel maneuvered from the right point to the top of the left circle and accepted a feed from Malkin. As Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews offered limited resistance, Kindel gripped and ripped a wrister that rang off the near post and found entry into the cage past Stolarz’s blocker. Malkin and Rust registered assists.

#Penguins 3 @ #MapleLeafs 0 [P2–8:10]:

Goal: Ben Kindel (5)32’ Deepshot Power-Play Wrister

Assists: E.Malkin (16), B.Rust (7)#LetsGoPens #LeafsForever #NHL pic.twitter.com/ak7krVP6q8

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) November 4, 2025

“(Malkin) made a really nice play to me,” Kindel said. “I shot it, got lucky it went in.”

The Maple Leafs tied the contest with a hiccup-quick three-goal outburst within the first seven minutes of the third period.

Matthews got the Maple Leafs on the scoreboard with his team-leading seventh goal at the 3:31 mark.

As Shea collided with linesman David Brisebois following a faceoff at center ice, McCabe took advantage of that mishap and snapped a stretch pass from above his own left circle to the offensive blue line, springing Matthews on a breakaway. As Crosby offered a futile pursuit, Matthews attacked the cage and snapped a wrister through Jarry’s five hole. Assists went to McCabe and forward William Nylander.

#Penguins 3 @ #MapleLeafs 1 [P3–16:29]:

Goal: Auston Matthews (7)27’ Snapshot

Assists: J.McCabe (4), W.Nylander (13)#LetsGoPens #LeafsForever #NHLpic.twitter.com/70Y4Jwj6vR

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) November 4, 2025

Only 76 seconds later, Nylander found his fourth goal.

Chasing a puck dumped off Pittsburgh’s end boards, Rielly chopped at a rebound with a forehand shot from below the left circle. Penguins rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke blocked the shot with his stick and the rebound hopped to a mass of chaos in the slot. Nylander gloved the puck down, sashayed to the left circle and whipped a backhander past Brunicke and Jarry’s blocker on the near side. Forward Matthew Knies and Rielly registered assists.

#Penguins 3 @ #MapleLeafs 2 [P3–15:13]:

Goal: William Nylander (4)18’ Backhand

Assists: M.Knies (12), M.Rielly (6)#LetsGoPens #LeafsForever #NHL pic.twitter.com/dRp66LCcVz

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) November 4, 2025

Nylander scored again at the 6:55 mark.

Settling a loose puck that slid to the Penguins’ right half wall, Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson slid a pass to the high slot where Nylander dropped the hammer on a one-timer that sailed through a phalanx of bodies and past Jarry’s left shoulder. Ekman-Larsson and Matthews merited assists.

WILLIAM NYLANDER BLAST ????

LEAFS (-190) TIE THE GAME#LeafsForever

pic.twitter.com/CM1A0CPxvd

— BET99 Sportsbook (@BET99Sportsbook) November 4, 2025

The Maple Leafs took the lead at 13:43 of the third frame thanks to forward Bobby McMann’s third goal, which came off a rebound scramble.

Chasing down a puck in Pittsburgh’s right corner, Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson claimed possession and spun away from Penguins rookie defenseman Owen Pickering. Attacking the cage, Robertson initially lost possession but managed to get a shot off while falling in the slot. Jarry made a save with his right leg but allowed a rebound to sit loose to the left of the crease. McMann was Johnny on the spot and whipped a wrister by Jarry’s glove. Robertson and Rielly registered assists.

BOBBY THE MCMANN THAT YOU ARE! Leafs take the lead! ???? pic.twitter.com/FtFLRkonma

— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) November 4, 2025

Notes:

• Kindel (18 years and 189 days) became the third-youngest player in franchise history to record a multi-goal game. Only Crosby (five times) and former forward Jordan Staal (twice) did it at a younger age:

• Brunicke appeared in his ninth game of the season. Should he dress for a 10th contest, the first year of his three-year entry-level contract will officially be tolled. The Penguins could avoid that by sending him back to his junior team, the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League.

• Koivunen and Tomasino each recorded their first points of the season.

• Penguins forward Justin Brazeau was scratched for a second consecutive game due to an undisclosed ailment.

• Penguins defensemen Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba were also scratched.

• Jarry appeared in his 300th career game.

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