Auston Matthews has 3 goals, Maple Leafs beat Lightning

Auston Matthews had three objectives to tie the franchise single-season document for objectives with 54, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Monday night time.

Matthews, who additionally had an help and prolonged his purpose streak to 6 video games, accomplished his seventh profession hat trick — and fourth this season — from the slot to offer Toronto a 5-2 lead at 7:08 of the third. The middle equaled Rick Vaive’s mark set in 1981-82.

“It is humbling, it means so much,” Matthews mentioned.

Mitchell Marner had a purpose and two assists, giving him 22 factors (six objectives, 16 assists) throughout a 10-game level streak. He additionally recorded his sixth straight multi-point recreation because the Maple Leafs took a two-point lead over Tampa Bay and Boston for second place within the Atlantic Division. Marner scored his purpose at 11:24 of the third.

“It is a large recreation for us, clearly,” Matthews, mentioned. “They are a actually good staff, they know the right way to win, so it was an essential recreation for us this level of the season. All these factors rely and actually matter. I believe it is only a actually full recreation by everyone.”

Pierre Engvall and Alexander Kerfoot had the opposite Toronto objectives. Jack Campbell had 32 saves.

Tampa Bay obtained objectives from Nikita Kucherov and Jan Rutta, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 pictures.

“We did not handle our recreation,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper mentioned. “We had been means, means, too straightforward to play towards tonight. It was like a light-weight apply for them. It is too unhealthy since you wish to see the place you are at. I assumed we form of turned the nook a bit however clearly we have not.”

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

“It is enjoyable to look at him,” Campbell mentioned of Matthews. “To see him get the outcomes on the ice like he is been doing, it is simply unimaginable. It is simply loopy. It is superb.”

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

Engvall opened the scoring on Toronto’s first shot 1:59 into the sport.

Kucherov tied it at 1 from the left circle proper off a faceoff win by Steven Stamkos at 6:24 of the primary.

Stamkos had two assists. He prolonged his level streak to a season-high seven video games (six assists, 11 factors).

RARE COMPANY

Matthews grew to become simply the fifth Toronto participant to have 4 or extra hat methods in the identical season. The others are Reg Noble (1917-18), Babe Dye (1922-23 and 1924-25), Darryl Sittler (1980-81), and Vaive (1983-84).

NUMBERS

Matthews (253) moved previous Bob Pulford (251) into ninth place on Toronto’s all-time objectives checklist. He has some extent in every of his final 13 video games. … Marner joined Matthews (seven video games, 2018-19) as the one Toronto gamers to have streaks of six or extra multi-point video games. … Kucherov has two objectives and 10 factors throughout a five-game level streak.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Maple Leafs RW William Nylander (sickness) didn’t play. … Lightning D Ryan McDonagh took half within the morning skate however sat out this sixth consecutive recreation with an upper-body harm.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: At Florida on Tuesday night time.

Lightning: At Washington on Wednesday night time.