Auston Matthews scored twice, surpassing the 50-goal mark, as the Toronto Maple Leafs stretched their win streak to a season-best five games with a 6-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday in Tempe, Ariz.
William Nylander also had two goals, while Bobby McMann and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist for Toronto. Mitchell Marner added three assists, and Timothy Liljegren and TJ Brodie each had two assists. Ilya Samsonov made 23 saves for his fifth straight victory.
Matias Maccelli, Barrett Hayton and Dylan Guenther scored for Arizona. Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for the Coyotes, who have dropped 11 straight (0-10-1).
Matthews gave Toronto a 2-0 lead on a power play at 5:01 of the first period, putting a wrist shot past Vejmelka for his 50th of the season. The Leafs center is the fastest U.S.-born player to reach the 50-goal mark (54 games).
The last time any player got to 50 goals quicker in a season was when Mario Lemieux reached the mark in 50 games for the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins.
Matthews, a Northern California native who grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., added his second of the game, giving Toronto a 4-2 lead at 16:07 of the second period. Marner’s shot deflected off Matthews’ shoulder and in for No. 51 on the season.
Nylander’s second of the night, two minutes into the third, gave Toronto a 5-3 lead.
Toronto took a 6-3 lead at 8:24 of the third as Tavares beat Vejmelka on his high glove side for his 16th goal of the season.
The Coyotes trailed 3-0 after one period but scored twice in a 1:10 span in the second period to cut the Leafs’ lead to one.
Arizona got on the board at 4:28 of the second period as Maccelli beat Samsonov glove-side for his ninth of the season.
Hayton tipped an Alex Kerfoot point shot past Samsonov for his third of the season at 5:38 to make it 3-2.
After Matthews’ second goal of the game, Guenther one-timed a Clayton Keller pass past Samsonov on a power play for his sixth of the season with seven seconds remaining in the middle frame.
Toronto outshot Arizona 16-6 and led by three after 20 minutes.
The Leafs opened the scoring 1:56 into the first period as McMann redirected a Brodie pass past Vejmelka for his ninth of the season.
After Matthews doubled the lead, Nylander made it 3-0 on a two-man advantage, tapping in a Marner pass at 15:27.
The Maple Leafs and Coyotes wrap up the season series Feb. 29 in Toronto.
–Field Level Media
