Matthew Knies scores twice, adds assist to push Maples Leafs past Lightning 5-3

TORONTO (AP) — Matthew Knies had two goals and an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs held on late to down the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Monday night.

Auston Matthews and William Nylander also scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll made 27 saves. Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and two assists.

Nick Paul scored twice for Tampa and Darren Raddysh had a goal and an assist. Jonas Johansson stopped 23 shots. Victor Hedman chipped in two assists.

The Leafs, who picked up a third straight regulation victory over the Lightning this season, top the Atlantic Division with 62 points after extending their current winning streak to three games.

Takeaways

Leafs: Woll made his 25th appearance to match the netminder’s career-high set in 2023-24. Monday also marked his 61st regular-season game.

Lightning: Johansson got the call in place of No. 1 goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The former Vezina Trophy winner allowed eight goals on 38 shots in his two starts against Toronto this season.

Key moment

The teams appeared poised to head to the locker rooms for the second intermission with the Leafs up 2-1 when Marner found Knies behind Tampa’s defense to restore the home side’s two-goal lead with 22.3 seconds left on the clock.

Key stat

Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals last season, has scored eight times and added six assists over nine games since sitting out six contests with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He was also sidelined for nine games earlier in the schedule with the same issue.

Up next

The Lightning continue a four-game road trip Tuesday in Montreal against the Canadiens. The Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL