Matthews has 3 goals, Maple Leafs beat Lightning 6-2 | The Canadian News

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Auston Matthews scored three goals to tie the franchise record for goals in a season with 54, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Monday night. .

Matthews, who also had an assist and extended his scoring streak to six games. he completed his seventh career hat-trick, and fourth this season, from the slot to give Toronto a 5-2 lead at 7:08 of the third. The center back equaled Rick Vaive’s mark set in 1981-82.

Mitchell Marner had one goal and two assists, giving him 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) during a 10-game scoring streak. He also posted his sixth straight multi-point game as the Maple Leafs took a two-point lead over Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division. Marner scored his goal at 11:24 of the third.

Pierre Engvall and Alexander Kerfoot had the other goals for Toronto. Jack Campbell had 32 saves.

Tampa Bay allowed goals from Nikita Kucherov and Jan Rutta, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots.

trending stories

• 

  Feds consider adding COVID-19 boosters to be considered fully vaccinated

• 

  Martha Stewart buries her cat after four of her dogs attacked and killed it

Matthews put Toronto up 2-1 on a wrist shot from the left circle 1:46 into the second.

After Rutta scored four minutes later, the Maple Leafs took a 4-2 lead on Matthews’ low-slot redirection with 10:03 remaining in the second and Kerfoot’s close goal 2:28 later.

Engvall opened the scoring with Toronto’s first shot at 1:59 of the game.

Kucherov tied the 1 from the left circle just after a win by Steven Stamkos at 6:24 of the first.

Stamkos had two assists. He extended his scoring streak to a season-high seven games (six assists, 11 points).

NUMBERS

Matthews (253) passed Bob Pulford (251) for ninth place on Toronto’s all-time goals list. He has a point in each of his last 13 games. … Marner joined Matthews (seven games, 2018-19) as the only Toronto players to have streaks of six or more multipoint games. … Kucherov has two goals and 10 points during a five-game scoring streak.

COACHES ROOM

Maple Leafs RW William Nylander (illness) did not play. … Lightning D Ryan McDonagh participated in the morning skate, but he missed this sixth straight game with an upper-body injury.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Maple Leafs: In Florida on Tuesday night.

Lightning: In Washington on Wednesday night.

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports