Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews (34) skates around Chicago Blackhawks right wing Taylor Raddysh (11) during first period NHL hockey action, in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb, 15, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
TORONTO – Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist in his return from injury as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Wednesday.
William Nylander added a goal and two assists for Toronto (33-14-8), while John Tavares and Rasmus Sandin each scored and set up another for two-point nights. Connor Timmins had the other goal for the Leafs.
Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves.
Sam Lafferty and Philipp Kurashev replied for rebuilding Chicago (16-32-5), which got 37 stops from former Toronto goaltender Petr Mrazek.
Matthews ““ last season’s Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP and the first player to register a 60-goal campaign in a decade ““suffered a knee sprain Jan. 25, but only missed five games over a three-week stretch thanks to the all-star break and Toronto’s bye week.
Leapfrogged by Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic Division since last seeing action in Saturday’s ugly 4-3 loss to last-place Columbus, the Leafs opened the scoring after just nine seconds when Nylander moved in on a breakaway and slid home his 30th goal of the season.
The visitors got that one right back on the game’s second shot 53 seconds later when Lafferty jumped on a Calle Jarnkrok turnover and scored his ninth.
Sandin restored Toronto’s lead later in the period with his fourth on a shot that hit a Chicago stick and fooled Mrazek, who signed with the Leafs in the summer of 2021 before getting traded to the Windy City less than a year later following a forgettable Leafs’ stint.
Alexander Kerfoot looked to have given Toronto a 3-1 lead just 15 seconds later only to have the Blackhawks correctly challenge for offside, but Matthews ripped his 26th off a Nylander feed a few minutes later.
Chicago got back within one early in the second when Kurashev blasted his eighth before Tavares took advantage of a Mrazek miscue to score his 24th.
Timmins then scored his second on a one-timer for a 5-2 lead through 40 minutes in the defenceman’s first action since Jan. 27 before the teams played an even third period.
NYLANDER MILESTONE
The winger found the back of the net for a 30th time in 2022-23 to join Matthews, Tavares and Phil Kessel as the only Leafs to hit the mark in 55 contests or fewer over the last 20 years.
The goal was the also fourth-fastest to start a game in franchise history behind only Charlie Conacher in 1932 (seven seconds), Mitch Marner in 2019 (seven seconds) and Ted Kennedy in 1953 (eight seconds).
LEAFS TALK KANE, TOEWS
With both their contracts set to expire July 1, Blackhawks icons Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews could be moving on before the trade deadline ““ if they waive their no-movement clauses.
Tavares was asked before the game if it’s difficult to envision Kane and Toews in different uniforms.
“I don’t think you really ever thought it was going to possibly come to that point,” he said. “But when you’re seeing it from the outside ““ just the way they’ve been talking about it, handling it in their situation now ““ that’s becoming more and more likely.”
Matthews grew up idolizing Kane ““ a fellow U.S.-born star ““ and said it would be strange seeing one of his childhood heroes in another jersey.
“It would be a little weird,” he said. “But it’s been weird not seeing him in the playoffs, too.”
UP NEXT
Leafs: Host Montreal on Saturday.
Blackhawks: Visit Ottawa on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2023.
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