Auston Matthews scores 68 as Toronto Maple Leafs fall to New Jersey Devils

TORONTO – Jesper Bratt scored his second goal of the game as the New Jersey Devils beat Toronto 6-5 on a night when Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews added two goals of his own to give him the NHL lead. 68 in June on Thursday.

Timo Meyer, with two goals and one assist, Erik Haula and Nolan Foote provided the rest of the offense for New Jersey (38-37-5). Jake Allen stopped 27 shots. Luke Hughes had two assists. Bratt added an assist on a three-point performance.

John Tavares, two, and David Kampf scored the other goals for Toronto (46-24-9). Ilya Samsonov made 14 saves. Max Domi and Mitch Marner each had two assists.

William Nylander played his 600th career regular-season game for the Leafs in a 6-3 home loss to the Devils late last month before scoring in Tuesday's 5-2 victory.

Looking to become the first player in more than three decades to reach 70 goals, Matthews' current total is the highest in the NHL since Mario Lemieux's 69 in 1995-96.

Toronto is looking to move into second place in the Atlantic Division before the playoffs begin on April 20, while New Jersey will be playing for pride and jobs next season.

Tied 4-4 at two periods, Matthews drew a penalty in the third period and the Devils starred when Bratt beat Samsonov at the 26 at 11:03.

Tavares evened things up again with 4:47 left when he buried his second of the night and 26 of the campaign off a Morgan Rielly layup.

But the Devils answered with 74 seconds left on the clock when Brett picked up his 27th touchdown.

The Leafs got a late power play for a 6-on-4 advantage, but couldn't find the range.

Down 3-2 after a wild and sloppy first, Matthews scored his second of the night and 68th of the campaign at 7:59 with an “MVP!” Rain fell from the stands at Scotiabank Arena.

The goal — his ninth in his last seven games — was the sniper's 274th all-time, passing Mats Sundin for the top spot in franchise history.

Kampf scored his eighth goal 1:17 later before Devil defenseman Simon Nemec mixed it up with Matthews. Domi made an exception, dropping the glove on the rookie, earning himself a challenge penalty and a 10-minute foul.

The Devils came back with 11.6 seconds left when Meyer scored his second of the night and 27th overall to knot things up at 4-4 with 40 minutes left.

Tavares opened the scoring in 18 seconds, his 25th at home. Haula answered with 16 seconds after 21 seconds.

Matthews then followed with his 67th in 6:08 — his 366th in his career, passing Dave Keon for third on the franchise's all-time list.

Foote, who missed most of the season with an undisclosed injury, scored his first goal on a rebound off Mark Giordano at 7:57.

Toronto winger Nick Robertson had a goal disallowed minutes later when the coach called for offside.

The Devils had their first power play of the game and converted when Mayer scored his 26th goal to make it 3-2 at 12:37.

KNEE HIT

Leafs rookie point guard and Phoenix native Matthew Nise was asked before the game about the possibility of the Arizona Coyotes moving to Salt Lake City, Utah next season.

“Very sad,” the 21-year-old winger told reporters after Thursday's morning skate. “The Coyotes did a lot for me growing up, and I loved going to the games. That was a big reason why I got into hockey.

“I hope they can stay.”

EDDIE RETURNS

Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson is back in the lineup after missing the last eight games with an undisclosed injury.

Blueliner Jake McCabe, meanwhile, got the night off with a team looking to be as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

NEXT UP

Toronto: Hosts Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

New Jersey: Visits the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

This Canadian Press report was first published on April 11, 2024.

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