TORONTO – Sports – The Toronto Maple Leafs are keeping the pedal to the metal! Sweeping a three game series against the Vancouver Canucks, Maple Leaf Auston Matthews scored in his eighth consecutive game.
Matthew’s goal broke a tie midway through the third period to fire up the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks.
Matthews made it 2-1 at 9:22 when he one-timed a pass from Mitchell Marner in the slot for his NHL-leading 11th goal and 300th NHL point (169 goals, 131 assists).
Frederik Andersen made 31 saves for the Maple Leafs (10-2-1), who are on an eight-game point streak (7-0-1) and swept a three-game set against the Canucks.
“It was 1-1 going into the third, and we hadn’t nearly played our best hockey yet,” said Matthews, “But Freddie kept us in it, and we got off to a really good start in the third, had a couple of good offensive-zone shifts, and shifted the momentum back to our side. You have to learn to fight through these kinds of games where it’s not bouncing your way or you don’t have your good legs, but just fight through and find a way, and that’s what we did tonight.”
OTTAWA – SPORTS – Mike Smith stopped 27 shots in his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers, backstopping the team to a 3-1 win against the Ottawa Senators.
It was Smith’s first start since March 11, 2020. He sustained an undisclosed injury during warmups prior to the season opener against the Vancouver Canucks on January 13, 2021 and was placed on long-term injured reserve two days later.
“I think the biggest thing is everyone knows how well he plays the puck,” Oilers forward Tyler Ennis says of Smith. “He gives our [defensemen] some relief back there. He’s a motivator in the net, he’s a good leader, and he stops [pucks]. He gave us a boost tonight.”
