NHL

Los Angeles Kings at Toronto Maple Leafs

· National Hockey League

Matthews breaks out of opening drought with goal and 2 assists, Maple Leafs beat Kings 6-2

Auston Matthews scores 1st goal of the season

Matthews made it 2-0 midway through the first period, quickly regaining control after fanning on a shot and beating David Rittich with a wrist shot.

The NHL goals leader last season with 69, Matthews also assisted on two power-play goals to to help the Maple Leafs win for the third straight time after an opening 1-0 loss at Montreal.

Bobby McMann scored twice in Toronto's three-goal first period, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander and John Tavares added goals and Anthony Stolarz stopped 32 shots. Mitch Marner had three assists.

Toronto broke an 0-for-11 run to start the season on the power play when Nylander beat Copley to make it 5-0 late in the second.

Alex Turcotte and Kevin Fiala scored in the third period for Los Angeles.

Takeaways Kings: Los Angeles dropped to 1-1-2 on a season-opening, seven-game trip necessitated by arena renovations. The Kings are right back at it Thursday night in Montreal.

Maple Leafs: With a focus on defensive accountability under new coach Craig Berube, Toronto has allowed only seven goals in four games.

Key moment Toronto chased Rittich with the fast start, scoring four goals on its first 14 shots. Pheonix Copley allowed two goals on 12 shots in relief.

Key stat Matthews became the fourth player in Maple Leafs history to score 200 goals on home ice, joining Darryl Sittler (231), Dave Keon (225) and Mats Sundin (217).

Up next Kings: At Montreal on Thursday night.

Maple Leafs: Host Edmonton on Saturday night.

Regular Season Series

TOR leads series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 6:54 Bobby McMann Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Max Domi (4), Jake McCabe (2)
Goal 1st Period 8:49 Auston Matthews Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Mitch Marner (2), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2)
Goal 1st Period 17:12 Bobby McMann Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: William Nylander (1), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (3)
Goal 2nd Period 7:56 Morgan Rielly Goal (1) Tip-In, assists: Jake McCabe (3), Max Domi (5)
Goal 2nd Period 18:31 William Nylander Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Auston Matthews (1), Mitch Marner (3)
Goal 3rd Period 2:42 Alex Turcotte Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Andre Lee (1)
Goal 3rd Period 9:03 Kevin Fiala Goal (3) Backhand, assists: Brandt Clarke (4), Trevor Lewis (1)
Goal 3rd Period 17:16 John Tavares Goal (2) Backhand, assists: Mitch Marner (4), Auston Matthews (2)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/la.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/tor.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTOR
8 Blocked Shots 17
26 Hits 28
6 Takeaways 4
34 Shots 26
0 Power Play Goals 2
4 Power Play Opportunities 4
0.0 Power Play Percentage 50.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
27 Faceoffs Won 33
45.0 Faceoff Win Percent 55.0
10 Giveaways 7
4 Total Penalties 4
8 Penalty Minutes 8

Game Information

Scotiabank Arena

Location: Toronto, ON
Attendance: 18,852 | Capacity:

2024-25 Pacific Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Vegas 11 6 24 2
Calgary 10 6 23 3
Los Angeles 10 7 23 3
Edmonton 10 8 22 2
Vancouver 9 6 21 3
Seattle 10 9 21 1
Anaheim 8 8 18 2
San Jose 6 11 16 4

2024-25 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Toronto 12 6 26 2
Florida 12 6 25 1
Tampa Bay 10 6 21 1
Buffalo 9 9 19 1
Boston 8 9 19 3
Ottawa 8 9 17 1
Detroit 7 9 16 2
Montreal 7 10 16 2
Full Standings