Key Takeaways
- Toronto beat Vancouver 4-2 for its first regulation win in Vancouver since December 10, 2019.
- William Nylander scored his 42nd career game-opening goal, eighth most in Maple Leafs history.
- Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves and recorded an assist as Toronto earned its 16th Halloween win.
Six Years. One Halloween Night. Toronto Finally Wins in Vancouver.
The Toronto Maple Leafs hadn't won a game in regulation in Vancouver since December 10, 2019.
That changed on Halloween.
Toronto beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Saturday, October 31, ending that wait with a victory that delivered milestones, a game-winning goal from an unexpected source and an impressive night from Anthony Stolarz.
And the numbers made it even sweeter.
William Nylander opened the scoring with his 42nd career game-opening goal, moving past Frank Mahovlich (41) for the eighth most in Maple Leafs history.
Vancouver managed to tie the game, but Toronto had an answer.
At 3:47 of the second period, Auston Matthews restored the Maple Leafs' lead with his team-leading 11th goal of the season. Jack Roslovic assisted on the goal, passing Brady Tkachuk for the most points among players on new teams this season.
MacEwen Delivers. Blueger Finishes the Job.
Toronto wasn't done.
Zack MacEwen doubled the Maple Leafs' lead, and his goal ultimately became the game-winner — the sixth game-winning goal of his career.
Then came the insurance.
Teddy Blueger found the empty net to seal Toronto's 4-2 victory. Blueger and Nylander each finished with a goal and an assist.
And while the scorers grabbed the headlines, Stolarz made sure Vancouver couldn't find its way back.
The Toronto goaltender stopped 27 shots for his fifth victory of the season. He even picked up his third assist of the season on Blueger's empty-net goal.
That's a pretty productive night for a goaltender.
The Numbers Behind Toronto's Halloween Win
The Maple Leafs went 0-for-2 on the power play and won 63% of faceoffs.
There was also a little Halloween history: this was Toronto's 16th victory on Halloween, the most of any NHL team.
The Twikup Take
Six years of waiting in Vancouver ended on Halloween — and Toronto didn't need one superstar to do it all.
Nylander started the scoring, Matthews answered when Vancouver tied it, MacEwen delivered the decisive goal and Stolarz made 27 saves.
The Maple Leafs left Vancouver with something they hadn't taken there in regulation since 2019: a win.
Image: 2022-02-28 Auston Matthews by All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0.