Islanders beat Maple Leafs 4-1 as Maccelli and Ritchie leave injured
Bo Horvat scored the winner in Toronto, but two New York forwards left Saturday’s game with lower-body injuries and did not return.
The New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 in Toronto on Saturday, October 17, with Bo Horvat scoring the winner and adding an assist. The victory came with a concern for New York: forwards Matias Maccelli and Calum Ritchie left the game with lower-body injuries and did not return, SNY reported.
How the Islanders built their 4-1 lead
Anthony Duclair opened the scoring at 8:18 of the first period, taking a pass in the slot before shooting through a partial screen. Horvat doubled the lead at 18:33 after Toronto’s Gavin McKenna missed a chance to tie the game on a partial breakaway, according to The Canadian Press report carried by Global News.
Colton Sissons brought Toronto within a goal at 3:54, tipping a shot through traffic. Simon Holmstrom restored New York’s two-goal advantage at 14:08 from a Horvat setup, then scored into an empty net with just over two minutes left. Holmstrom finished with two goals, while Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves for the Islanders and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto had won the teams’ previous meeting 2-1 at Scotiabank Arena on September 30. Saturday’s loss was the Maple Leafs’ third in a row and fourth in five games. The result left New York at 4-3-1 and Toronto at 3-4-2, according to the Canadian Press account.
What happened to Maccelli and Ritchie
Maccelli left in the first period after stepping on a stick and falling awkwardly, according to The Canadian Press. SNY reported that he lost his footing while handling the puck behind the net, could not put weight on his left leg at the time and needed help leaving the ice. Neither account establishes a diagnosis.
SNY reported that Ritchie took a check into the boards and skated off hunched over. It said the precise injury was unclear. There was no confirmed return timeline for either forward.
Maccelli joined the Islanders on a one-year contract this offseason and had two goals and four assists through his first seven games, SNY reported. Ritchie recorded 13 goals and 17 assists in 65 games in his rookie season in 2025-26. Their departures add to New York’s lineup concerns: SNY reported that Mathew Barzal had not travelled on the two-game Canadian trip while recovering from a knee injury.
The Islanders are scheduled to host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, while the Maple Leafs are scheduled to host the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Toronto also announced that veteran centre John Tavares is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained Thursday, The Canadian Press reported.
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Sources and context
- Horvat leads Islanders past Maple LeafsGlobal News; report by The Canadian Press
- Islanders forwards Matias Maccelli, Calum Ritchie exit with injuries against Maple LeafsSNY (article by Ben Pawlak; accessed via Yahoo Sports)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.