Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Tavares and William Nylander each recorded a goal and two assists Tuesday night and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Nashville Predators 7-4.
Auston Matthews scored twice — once into an empty net — for the Maple Leafs, who had lost two in a row. Nylander’s goal also was an empty-netter.
Jake McCabe and Bobby McMann also scored for Toronto. Matthew Knies contributed three assists. Cayden Primeau made 27 saves in his first start with the Maple Leafs.
Michael McCarron, Erik Haula, Roman Josi and Nick Perbix scored for the Predators, who split the first two matchups of their four-game road trip. Justus Annunen stopped 21 shots.
Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by two defensemen.
McCabe flicked a 63-foot shot from the left point that worked through traffic past Annunen on the short side at 8:42.
Ekman-Larsson scored at 13:34 when his pass intended for Matias Maccelli, who was driving to the net, was deflected by Nashville’s Ozzy Wiesblatt.
Nashville perked up early in the second and had a couple of forays on goal before Toronto’s Nicholas Robertson hit the post on a breakaway on a shot that grazed off Annunen.
The Predators hit the scoreboard with goals 44 seconds apart in the second. McCarron knocked down the puck after a shot by Brady Skjei and it went between the legs of Primeau at 3:21. Haula scored on a 12-foot wrist shot at 4:05 after Wiesblatt won a battle for the puck behind the net.
Tavares poked home a loose puck after a rebound from Nylander’s shot and Toronto regained the lead at 8:49 of the second.
McMann’s 17-foot shot was deflected by Skjei and into the net at 16:14 of the second to restore Toronto’s two-goal lead.
Matthews scored on a pass from Knies to finish a nifty give-and-go at 10:42 of the third period. Easton Cowan also earned an assist for his first NHL point in his second career game.
Josi scored on a 51-footer through traffic at 16:06 of the third. Matthews scored into an empty net at 16:50.
Perbix scored at 18:49 and Nylander found the empty net at 19:34.
–Field Level Media
