Marcus Foligno registered his first career hat trick Monday night as the visiting Minnesota Wild defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3.
Foligno scored his third goal into an empty net after Toronto had cut a four-goal deficit in half in the third period. The 15-year veteran was playing in his 915th career game. He has posted 12 two-goal games.
Vladimir Tarasenko added two goals and an assist for the Wild, who have won the first two games of a three-game road trip.
Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman logged a goal and an assist while Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber each added two assists. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves.
Auston Matthews produced a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who opened a five-game homestand after a 2-1-1 road trip.
Toronto’s Nicholas Robertson and John Tavares also scored. Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 29 shots before Dennis Hildeby replaced him for the third period and turned aside all eight shots he faced.
Toronto had a seven-game home winning streak end.
The Wild jumped in front with a power-play goal at 4:45 of the first period. Tarasenko fired home an 8-foot wrist shot from the left of the net on a cross-crease pass from Hartman. Simon Benoit was serving a tripping penalty.
Hartman scored at 10:29 of the first from the edge of the crease, sweeping in a pass from Mats Zuccarello to double the lead.
Tavares scored from the slot of a power play off a pass by Matthew Knies from the goal line at 18:24 of the first. Jared Spurgeon was serving a double minor for high-sticking.
Foligno’s long deflection of Faber’s shot found the top corner to give the Wild a 3-1 lead at 6:53 of the second period.
Minnesota was successfully clogging the middle, and it created chances.
The lead reached 4-1 at 8:24 of the second. Hughes’ outlet pass reached Tarasenko, who burst into the clear between two distant defenders and ripped a 27-foot wrister past Woll.
Foligno was parked in front of the goal when he tipped in Faber’s shot on a power play at 19:14 of the second. Easton Cowan was off for hooking.
Robertson scored his first of the season at 6:27 of the third period from a goalmouth scramble when he was pushed into the goal as the puck crossed the line.
Max Domi’s pass sprung Matthews, who broke in alone and tucked in a backhand at 15:02 of the third to make it 5-3.
Foligno scored into an empty net at 17:22 of the third.
–Field Level Media
