The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a slump, having lost four consecutive games and trailing 2-0 in the first period against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. But they found their spark in their star forward Auston Matthews, who scored three goals and added an assist to lead the Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Flames.
Matthews pushed his NHL-leading goals total to 37 and helped the Leafs improve to 22-13-8. He also became the first player in franchise history to score 30 or more goals in each of his first six seasons.
Mitch Marner also scored for the Leafs, while Martin Jones made 24 saves in his second start for Toronto. William Nylander and Pontus Holmberg each had two assists.
Flames’ hot streak ends despite early lead
The Flames had won four straight games and were looking to extend their lead in the Pacific Division. They got off to a fast start, scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring at 4:23 with his 12th goal of the season, deflecting a shot by Noah Hanifin past Jones. Former Leaf Nazem Kadri doubled the lead at 9:52 with his 21st goal, beating Jones with a wrist shot from the slot.
The Flames had a chance to make it 3-0 late in the first period, when Mikael Backlund broke away on a shorthanded opportunity. But he hit the post with his shot, and the Leafs capitalized on the missed chance.
Matthews sparks Leafs’ comeback with hat trick
With 1:16 left in the first period, Matthews scored his first goal of the night, taking advantage of a turnover by Flames defenseman Nick DeSimone and sniping a shot into the top corner past Dan Vladar, who made 29 saves for Calgary.
The Leafs carried the momentum into the second period, tying the game at 4:08 when Matthews converted Nylander’s pass during a delayed penalty. The Leafs then took the lead at 7:44 with Marner’s 19th goal on a 4-on-3 power play, set up by Matthews and Holmberg.
Matthews completed his hat trick with 6:21 left in the second period, scoring his third goal on a backhand after Vladar failed to secure a shot by Matthew Knies. Matthews outmuscled DeSimone in the slot and buried the puck into the net, sending hats flying onto the ice.
Flames rally in the third but fall short
The Flames did not give up, and tried to mount a comeback in the third period. They cut the deficit to one at 8:14, when Andrew Mangiapane scored his 18th goal on a rebound after Jones stopped a shot by Johnny Gaudreau.
The Flames pressed for the equalizer, but Jones stood tall and made some key saves, including a glove save on a shot by Elias Lindholm with 1:40 left. The Leafs held on for the win, snapping their skid and handing the Flames their first loss in five games.
