Toronto Maple Leafs' Alexander Kerfoot (15) plays the puck as Anaheim Ducks' Brett Leason (20) and Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) look on during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
TORONTO – Mitch Marner had two assists to extend his point streak to 23 games and Ilya Samsonov made 28 saves for his second straight shutout as the Toronto Maple Leafs thumped the lowly Anaheim Ducks 7-0 on Tuesday.
Alexander Kerfoot scored twice for Toronto (19-5-6), while John Tavares and Pierre Engvall each had a goal and an assist.
Michael Bunting, T.J. Brodie and Joey Anderson provided the rest of the offence.
Connor Timmins registered a trio of assists for the first three-point performance of his career as the Leafs put up at least six goals in a game for the first time season. Rasmus Sandin and Pontus Holmberg had two assists each.
John Gibson allowed two goals on 27 shots for last-place Anaheim (7-20-3) before being replaced in the second period by Lukas Dostal, who finished with 10 stops after starting Monday’s 3-0 loss against Ottawa.
Marner is now three games back of Patrick Kane (2015-16) for the longest point streak among active NHL players.
The winger has 11 goals and 21 assists during his red-hot run that started Oct. 27 at San Jose.
The Leafs, meanwhile, have at least a point in 15 consecutive games (12-0-3) and can tie the franchise record of 16 straight Saturday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
The Ducks picked up a 4-3 overtime victory in the teams’ other meeting Oct. 30 to drop Toronto to a panic-inducing – at least among some segments of the fanbase – record of 4-4-2.
The Leafs have rebounded in impressive fashion since that low point with a 15-1-4 mark, while Anaheim remains with a solitary regulation win from 30 games in 2022-23 and is 3-12-2 over its last 17.
Kerfoot opened the scoring at 1:58 of Tuesday’s first period off a pass from Engvall for his third of the campaign and first that beat a goaltender since Oct. 20 after scoring into an empty net a week ago in Dallas.
Marner, who had an assist against the Ducks in late October in the third game of his streak, got on the scoresheet at 8:41 following a backhand feed to Tavares for the captain’s 14th after Timmins kept the puck in at the blue line.
Samsonov had to be sharp at the other end on a couple Anaheim chances, including off a scramble with Mason McTavish lurking.
Brodie stretched Toronto’s lead to 3-0 with his first of the campaign at 12:16 of the second after Dostal replaced Gibson.
Samsonov, who blanked Los Angeles 5-0 on Thursday, then stopped Max Comtois on a breakaway before Bunting scored his sixth off a rebound at 16:33.
Kerfoot got his second of the night at 2:37 of the third for the forward’s first two-goal game since April 2, 2019, when he was with Colorado.
Engvall made it 6-0 with his fifth at 5:42 before Anderson scored his first with 1:40 left in regulation.
GIO MILESTONE
Leafs defenceman Mark Giordano picked up the 400th assist of his career on Kerfoot’s second goal.
ENGVALL RETURNS
The Leafs forward was back in the lineup after sitting out Saturday’s 5-4 OT victory over Calgary as he served a one-game suspension for high-sticking on Los Angeles defenceman Sean Durzi.
EARLY EXIT
Ducks centre Adam Henrique took a puck to the face 11 seconds into Tuesday and went to the locker room for repairs, but returned for the start of the second period.
UP NEXT
Leafs: Visit the Rangers on Thursday.
Ducks: Visit the Canadiens on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2022.
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