Auston Matthews picks up two assists in his return to the lineup as Maple Leafs top Lightning 5-3
Auston Matthews picked up an assist in his return to the lineup and Joseph Woll stopped 38 shots as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Saturday night
Chris Tanev had a goal and an assist and Mitch Marner added two assists. Nick Robertson, John Tavares and William Nylander also scored for Toronto. Matthews assisted on Nylander's empty-net goal in the third period after missing nine games with an upper-body injury.
Mikey Eyssimont, Jake Guentzel and Cam Atkinson scored for Tampa Bay, which was without leading scorer Nikita Kucherov.
Toronto led 4-0 in the third before the Lightning scored three goals in just over a six minute span, cutting its deficit to a goal with 2:22 left.
Takeaways
Maple Leafs: Toronto has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of the past 11 games. … The Leafs are 207-36-36 all-time when both Matthews and Marner register a point in the same game.
Lightning: Victor Hedman recorded two assists to become the franchise leader with 590 career assists, passing Marty St. Louis. … Kucherov is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury. Kucherov missed the second period on Friday in Nashville, but returned for the third period and overtime.
Key moment
Robertson scored 33 seconds after Chris Tanev to give the Maple Leafs a 3-0 lead at 8:39 of the second period. The goal was the first for Robertson since October 22, a span of 19 games.
Key stat
Maple Leafs RW Mitch Marner reached the 30-point mark to become the fourth player in franchise history with at least 30 points in each their first nine seasons, joining Dave Keon, Mats Sundi and Borje Salming.
Up next
Toronto hosts Chicago on Monday to open a three-game homestand. Tampa Bay hosts San Jose on Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Donald Trump says Canada becoming 51st U.S. state is 'a great idea.' Jean Charest calls the comment a 'wake-up call'
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is taking aim at Canada once more, saying it would be 'a great idea' to make it America's ‘51st state.'
'You're either with Beijing or you're with Washington': Ford says to Mexico in CNN interview
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a message for Mexico as the threat of tariffs by incoming president Donald Trump hangs over both sides of the U.S. border.
There are 88 new Order of Canada appointees. Here's a look at some of the most notable names
Ryan Reynolds, Scott Oake and Maureen Ann Jennings are among the 88 new recipients of the Order of Canada.
NEW These seniors were hit by the affordability crisis in a different way. They're having to support their children and grandchildren
With the high cost of living increasingly a concern, some seniors are making sacrifices to help their adult children and grandchildren make ends meet. Here are some of their stories.
Thousands of toddler step stools recalled after child's head gets stuck
Thousands of toddler step stools are being recalled after a child's head got stuck in one.
Iconic Halifax ship Theodore Too partially sunk at Ontario dock
An iconic ship that was a fixture in Halifax Harbour for 21 years has partially sunk in Ontario.
Brazilian judge orders Adele song removed over plagiarism claim
A judge in Rio de Janeiro has ordered the global removal of a 2015 song by British singer Adele due to a plagiarism claim by a Brazilian musician, which Universal Music is fighting on appeal.
After scamming their victims, some con artists go on to scam our courts with impunity
Convicts, including fraudsters, are skipping out on their court-ordered payments to their victims to the tune of tens of millions of dollars across the country, according to figures obtained by CTV W5.
Synagogue on Montreal's West Island targeted by alleged arson
A synagogue on Montreal's West Island was the target of an alleged arson attack.