Auston Matthews continued his red-hot form by scoring once more, and Max Domi netted two goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs cruised past the Vegas Golden Knights 7-3 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
“We’ve played good hockey over the course of the season, but we haven’t put together a stretch like this,” said Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.
Jake McCabe, David Kampf, John Tavares, and Pontus Holmberg scored for Toronto, while Martin Jones made 23 saves.
“Obviously, our stars are confident in their game, but confidence can be fleeting in this league,” McCabe said. “But when everyone’s been confident like we are, it’s scary. You just have to keep it going.”
Matthews extended his goal streak to five games, tallying 10 goals and 13 points in that span. On Wednesday in Arizona, Matthews set a new record for the fastest U.S.-born player to reach 50 goals in a season in 54 games. He leads the NHL with 52 goals this season.
Mitchell Marner recorded two assists to extend his point streak to five games, accumulating 13 points during that stretch. William Nylander extended his point streak to six games. Domi’s two goals brought him within a point of 400 for his career.
“We have everyone going right now,” Domi said. “Everyone’s involved, everyone’s playing, and everyone’s taking short shifts. Those are the things that are winning hockey, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, while William Karlsson and Michael Amadio scored. Shea Theodore added two assists. Vegas has lost four of their last five games, all at home.
Toronto took control early, jumping to a 4-0 lead in a high-paced first period that saw both teams combine for 37 shots, including 23 by the Maple Leafs.
Four different skaters scored for Toronto, leading to the early exit of Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill after he allowed three goals on 19 shots with 5:40 left in the first period. Hill, who was instrumental in Vegas’ Stanley Cup run last season, has lost four starts.
However, the blame didn’t rest solely on Hill. Less than two minutes after Logan Thompson replaced him, Thompson conceded a rebound goal to Domi.
“We need to do better in front of our home crowd,” said Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. “When you get down by four goals, returning from that is tough. We did claw back.”
Karlsson got the Knights on the scoreboard 51 seconds into the second period, extending his goal streak to a season-high three games. But Toronto quickly responded with goals from Domi and Holmberg, extinguishing any hopes of a Vegas comeback.
Despite their efforts, including goals from Marchessault and Amadio just 1:25 into the third period to cut the deficit to 6-3, the Knights couldn’t recover fully. It was Amadio’s third consecutive game with a goal.
Matthews sealed the win with a redirect midway through the period, restoring Toronto’s four-goal lead.
This game marked the Knights’ first without their captain and leading scorer, Mark Stone, who is out with an upper-body injury. Coach Bruce Cassidy stated Stone is week-to-week.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: At Colorado on Saturday.
Golden Knights: At Ottawa on Saturday.