TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Toronto’s Matthew Knies recorded his first career hat trick and added two assists as the Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Boston Bruins 6-4 on Saturday night.
Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and four assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won three games in a row.
Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) returned after missing six games and had an empty-net goal and two assists. Jake McCabe contributed a goal and an assist, and Joseph Woll made 26 saves.
David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins, who have lost three straight. Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic also scored, and Pavel Zacha had two assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots.
Pastrnak hit the goal post with a shot 32 seconds into a fast-paced first period.
McCabe opened the scoring at 3:29 of the first with a wrist shot from the left circle on a nifty pass from Marner.
The teams traded goals 12 seconds apart early in the second period.
Knies redirected a shot by Matthews at 3:37 after Boston failed to clear the puck, and Toronto led 2-0.
Geekie answered immediately with an eight-foot wrist shot. He pounced on a loose puck after Zacha jabbed at it following Charlie Coyle’s shot.
Boston tied the game at 18:44 of the second. After an icing call against Toronto, Frederic won the faceoff and scored with a 21-foot wrist shot from the slot after the return pass from Charlie McAvoy.
Knies scored on an eight-foot backhand at the end of a two-on-one with John Tavares at 3:43 of the third period.
Pastrnak tied the game 34 seconds later on a 34-foot snap shot after stealing the puck from a Maple Leafs player.
Toronto regained the lead when Knies scored at 5:28 on a high shot that hit the post and went in. Matthews won the puck at the end boards and made the pass into the slot.
Marner scored into an empty net at 17:55 of the third.
Pastrnak responded with a goal on a 14-foot wrist shot at 18:10, and Matthews sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 19:29.
–Field Level Media