Empty-Net Lab · Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Maple Leafs pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Maple Leafs pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Maple Leafs pull the goalie, 2025-26. TOR down 1: half pulled by 1:54 remaining, 25% pulled with 2:00 left (27 trailing spells); TOR down 2: half pulled by 3:14 remaining, 95% pulled with 2:00 left (27 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Maple Leafs goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Hiller(small sample) | 2026-27 | 2:49 (3) | 50% | – (1) | 0 / 2 |
| Craig Berube | 2024-25 to 2025-26 | 1:52 (50) | 36% | 3:41 (47) | 5 / 28 |
| Sheldon Keefe | 2019-20 to 2023-24 | 1:58 (96) | 48% | 3:37 (79) | 12 / 57 |
| Mike Babcock | 2017-18 to 2019-20 | 2:14 (55) | 71% | 2:47 (57) | 7 / 38 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Maple Leafs season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 2:49 (3) | – (1) | 2:25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 1:54 (27) | 3:14 (27) | 53:52 | 4 | 23 | 19 | 3 |
| 2024-25 | 1:52 (23) | 3:47 (20) | 44:04 | 6 | 20 | 22 | 9 |
| 2023-24 | 2:02 (29) | 3:27 (24) | 46:46 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 8 |
| 2022-23 | 2:10 (20) | 3:57 (14) | 23:06 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 4 |
| 2021-22 | 1:57 (22) | 3:45 (15) | 26:00 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | 1:58 (14) | 3:49 (12) | 29:09 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| 2019-20 | 1:50 (21) | 2:52 (24) | 33:57 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | 2:18 (22) | 3:23 (23) | 42:40 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 5 |
| 2017-18 | 2:20 (23) | 2:44 (24) | 51:13 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 5 |
Who is on the ice for the Maple Leafs, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- John Tavares45:49 · 85%
- Matthew Knies43:32 · 84%
- William Nylander34:30 · 80%
- Auston Matthews30:57 · 84%
- Max Domi29:09 · 58%
- Morgan Rielly26:47 · 53%
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson26:11 · 51%
- Easton Cowan19:54 · 53%
Empty-net defense
- Jake McCabe26:24 · 79%
- Matthew Knies17:09 · 46%
- Auston Matthews16:36 · 53%
- John Tavares15:12 · 41%
- Brandon Carlo14:42 · 61%
- Troy Stecher11:38 · 48%
- William Nylander11:19 · 42%
- Scott Laughton10:30 · 48%
Empty-net goals
- Matthew Knies5 G, 3 A
- Bobby McMann5 G, 0 A
- William Nylander3 G, 3 A
- Auston Matthews3 G, 2 A
- John Tavares2 G, 6 A
- Calle Jarnkrok1 G, 0 A
- Jake McCabe0 G, 3 A
- Nicolas Roy0 G, 3 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Maple Leafs goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | OTT | 1 | 2:49 | 1:10 | No goal |
| Sep 29 | MTL | 1 | 1:15 | 1:15 | No goal |
| Apr 15 | OTT | 1 | 1:58 | 1:52 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 13 | DAL | 1 | 1:31 | 0:55 | No goal |
| Apr 11 | FLA | 2 | 4:40 | 0:36 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 11 | FLA | 3+ | 3:22 | 1:29 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 9 | NYI | 2 | 3:58 | 3:37 | No goal |
| Apr 8 | WSH | 3+ | 4:11 | 0:21 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 2 | SJS | 2 | 3:43 | 2:43 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 21 | OTT | 3+ | 4:19 | 0:26 | No goal |
| Mar 17 | NYI | 2 | 1:27 | 1:27 | No goal |
| Mar 10 | MTL | 1 | 2:29 | 2:01 | Empty-net goal against |
FAQ
When do the Maple Leafs pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Craig Berube, the Toronto Maple Leafs had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 1:54 left in the 3rd period, and in 25% with 2:00 or more left (27 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Maple Leafs allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Toronto Maple Leafs scored 4 and allowed 23 empty-net goals in 53:52 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 19 empty-net goals and allowed 3 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.