Maple Leafs treat themselves to win in trip finale, beating lowly Canucks

VANCOUVER – Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman William Nylander opened the scoring in the first minute of play, capitalizing on a puck that bounced off Vancouver defenseman Jamie Oleksiak's stick and finding its way into the net past Vancouver goaltender Leevi Merilainen. The goal marked Nylander's team-leading 11th of the season for the Maple Leafs.

Auston Matthews followed suit at 3:47 of the second period, beating Merilainen on the short side following a back-and-forth exchange between Matthews and Toronto defenceman Darren Raddysh. Teddy Blueger and Zack MacEwen each added a goal and an assist for Toronto in the match that saw the Maple Leafs ultimately prevail 4-2. Brock Boeser and Max Sasson, both scoring goals, led the Canucks effort, which saw them notch one win in their last 13 games.

Canucks goaltender Leevi Merilainen stopped 24 shots in the contest, while Toronto's Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves and also earned an assist on Blueger's empty net goal. Max Sasson scored a goal in the third period, drawing the Canucks within a goal when he exploited a rebound from a Brendan Gallagher shot. With the win, Toronto ended a two-game skid in the NHL.