Center Auston Matthews scored with 1:32 left in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday night in the opener of a five-game trip.
Matthews deflected a shot by defenseman Connor Carrick over Blackhawks goalie Collin Delia for his 16th goal of the season.
The two rivals had not met since a wild 7-5 shootout victory by Chicago on New Year’s Eve in Toronto. The Blackhawks jumped ahead 2-0 in the second period before the Maple Leafs trimmed it to 2-1 with 1:45 left in the middle frame.
But Patrick Kane pulled Chicago within a goal on the second goal of the game late in the third period.
The Blackhawks lost their third straight game and fifth in six.
The Maple Leafs got a strong performance from goalie Frederik Andersen, who made 42 saves to earn his 18th victory of the season.
The Blackhawks got 28 saves from Delia.
Chicago is in a five-game stretch without its top goaltender, Alex DeBrincat, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Toews replaced Conor Sheary on the top line, while Nick Schmaltz dropped to the second.
The first period opened with a power play for both teams, but neither was able to convert.
Kane opened the scoring 5:22 into the game as he scored on a 2-on-1 breakaway with Alex DeBrincat.
Matthews tied it at 5:13 on a power play as he scored on a shot from the top of the right circle.
Toronto, which had a six-game winning streak end Tuesday night in New Jersey, fell behind early in the second period.
Patrick Sharp gave Chicago a 2-0 lead with 4:21 remaining in the middle period.
The Blackhawks kept the pressure on throughout the third period, but couldn’t record another score.
The Maple Leafs went up 2-1 on Josh Leivo’s first goal of the season.
The Leafs almost put the game away in the final minute of regulation as they managed to score on both their power plays. But two good saves by Delia kept the game tied at 2.
NOTES: Patricks Kane leads all active players with 176 power-play goals, two more than Malkin of Pittsburgh and Zach Parise of Minnesota. … Delia made his seventh start of the season for the Blackhawks, matching rookie Joel Hofer for the most in team history for a rookie goaltender. … Matthews has nine points in the past seven games.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Visit Buffalo on Saturday.
Blackhawks: Host Carolina on Saturday.
