Thursday, February 17, 2022 07:00 PM (ET)

Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly lead Maple Leafs past Penguins

Field Level Media
Feb 17, 2022

Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews each had a goal and an assist, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Thursday night.

David Kampf and Michael Bunting also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won their past two games. Mitchell Marner had two assists, and Jack Campbell made a season-best 45 saves.

Evgeni Malkin scored and Tristan Jarry finished with 25 saves for the Penguins, who had their four-game winning streak end. The Penguins won the first two games between the teams.

Matthews gave the Maple Leafs a quick 1-0 lead when he beat Jarry on a breakaway 21 seconds after the opening faceoff. TJ Brodie's pass from behind the Toronto blue line put Matthews in the clear, and he scored his 33rd goal of the season while extending his points streak to nine games.

With Pittsburgh's Evan Rodrigues off for holding, Rielly made it 2-0 at 5:31 of the second period when he finished off an end-to-end rush with a wrist shot from the left circle that went off the post and into the net for his sixth goal of the season. Campbell picked up his second career assist.

Penguins defenseman John Marino rang a shot off the post at 8:53 of the second, and Campbell held his post to deny former Maple Leaf Kasperi Kapanen at 13:01. Jarry kept it a two-goal game when he stopped Matthews on a breakaway at 16:24.

But Toronto went up 3-0 when Rielly set up Kampf for his seventh goal of the season at 18:36. It was Kampf's second short-handed goal in as many games.

Malkin ended Campbell's shutout bid at 3:33 of the third period when he knocked in Jeff Carter's rebound for his sixth goal of the season. But Bunting put Toronto back in front by three at 6:06, beating Jarry with a backhander from the low slot after Matthews set him up with a saucer pass.

Matthews went to the dressing room with just under 15 minutes remaining after hitting his face on the goal post. He returned about 10 minutes later and played one more shift.

--Field Level Media

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