By Canadian Press

Horvat powers Islanders over Leafs; Toronto captain Auston Matthews sits with injury

Dec 21, 2024 | 6:44 PM

TORONTO — Bo Horvat had two goals and an assist as the New York Islanders topped the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Saturday night.

Maxim Tsyplakov, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Isaiah George, with his first in the NHL, and Mathew Barzal, into the empty net, also scored for New York (13-14-7), which got 27 saves from Ilya Sorokin and ended a two-game slide. Alexander Romanov, Simon Holmstrom and Anders Lee added two assists each.

William Nylander, with two, and Bobby McMann replied for Toronto (21-11-2), which was playing the second of a back-to-back.

Joseph Woll, who allowed goals on two of the Islanders’ first three attempts on target, finished with 28 stops. The Leafs saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

Toronto was minus captain Auston Matthews after he took a cross-check to the back late in Friday’s 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

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The star centre missed nine games in November with an undisclosed upper-body injury that saw him travel to Germany for treatment. Head coach Craig Berube said a couple of hours before Saturday’s puck drop Matthews had “aggravated” that ailment.

Toronto is 7-3-0 this season without Matthews and 42-22-2 since he joined the league in 2016-17.

TAKEAWAYS

Leafs: Berube moved checking centre David Kampf into a top-6 forward role with Matthews out.

Islanders: New York has five won straight against the Leafs dating back to March 21, 2023. The club beat Toronto six consecutive times from 1978-79 to 1979-80 and then again from 1984-85 to 1986-87.

KEY MOMENT

Tsyplakov, a 26-year-old Russian playing his first NHL season and in the Calder Trophy conversation for top rookie honours, scored on New York’s first shot at 1:49 of the opening period before Horvat doubled that lead at 4:48. Berube subsequently took his timeout with the Leafs sleepwalking through the game’s opening moments.

KEY STAT

Nylander, whose only career hat trick came Feb. 4, 2017, in a 6-5 road victory over the Boston Bruins, has 32 two-goal games.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

Maple Leafs: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press