Auston Matthews scored with 2:09 remaining in overtime, lifting the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Matthews capitalized on a loose puck near center ice, outskating Devils defenseman Brett Pesce on a breakaway, and fired a glove-side shot past Jacob Markstrom for his ninth goal.
Pontus Holmberg tied the game for Toronto at 10:42 of the third period with a short-handed goal.
Ondrej Palat gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 7:16 of the second period, converting on a feed from Jesper Bratt. It was Palat’s first goal since Nov. 12, ending an 11-game drought.
Bratt extended his hot streak with his 10th point — three goals and seven assists — over New Jersey’s last six games.
Anthony Stolarz was stellar for the Maple Leafs, stopping 37 shots, while Markstrom finished with 11 saves for the Devils.
Takeaways
Maple Leafs: Despite being 14th in the NHL in average shots on goal (29.1 per game), Toronto managed just 12 shots — their lowest total of the season — yet secured the win.
Devils: New Jersey boasted the NHL’s best power play but struggled with the man advantage, going 0 for 4. The Devils are now 0 for 9 on the power play in their last three games.
Key Moment
The Devils dominated the first period, outshooting Toronto 15-1, including two short-handed attempts, but failed to capitalize.
Key Stat
Toronto’s Mitch Marner saw his eight-game road point streak (four goals, nine assists) come to an end. It was the second-longest active streak in the NHL behind Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman, who has 13 points in his last 10 road games.
Up Next
The Maple Leafs return home to host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. The Devils continue their five-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings the same night.
