Jesper Bratt broke a tie with 1:14 left along with his second aim of the sport and the New Jersey Devils beat Toronto 6-5 on Thursday night time, overcoming Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews’ NHL-leading 67th and 68th objectives of the season.
Matthews has essentially the most objectives within the NHL since Mario Lemieux had 69 in 1995-96.
Bratt additionally had an help, Timo Meier had two objectives and an help, and Erik Haula and Nolan Foote additionally scored for New Jersey Jake Allen stopped 27 photographs. Luke Hughes had two assists.
John Tavares additionally scored twice for Toronto. David Kampf added a aim, and Ilya Samsonov made 14 saves.
Matthews’s 67th aim of the season within the first interval was his 366th profession aim, shifting him previous Dave Keon for third place on the all-time franchise checklist.
Keon, who starred for the Maple Leafs within the 60s and 70s, spent 15 seasons in Toronto, ending with 365 objectives in 1,062 video games.
Matthews, who’s in his eighth season with the membership and has performed 559 carer video games, now sits behind solely Darryl Sittler, who has 389 profession objectives with the Leafs, and Mats Sundin who completed with 420 objectives.
His first interval marker was additionally his fiftieth even-strength aim of the season, changing into the primary participant to hit that mark since Teemu Selanne did within the 1992-93 season.
Down 3-2 after a wild and sloppy first, Matthews scored his second of the night and 68th of the marketing campaign off an inch-perfect Domi cross at 7:59 earlier than chants of “M-V-P!” rained down from the Scotiabank Enviornment stands.
The aim — his ninth within the final seven video games — was the sniper’s 274th all-time at even energy to cross Mats Sundin for high spot in franchise historical past.
With the groups tied at 4, Matthews took a tripping penalty within the third and the Devils capitalized when Bratt beat Samsonov along with his twenty sixth with 8:57 to go.
Tavares received issues again stage once more with 4:47 left when he buried his second of the night time — and twenty sixth of the marketing campaign. However the Devils responded with 1:14 to go when Bratt snapped in his twenty seventh off the frenzy.
The Leafs received a late energy play for a 6-on-4 benefit, however couldn’t discover the vary.
Matthews has an opportunity to achieve the 70 aim mark within the Maple Leafs last residence recreation of the season on Saturday night time towards Detroit. Failing that, Toronto closes out the season with back-to-back video games in Florida towards the Panthers and Lightning subsequent week.
Toronto sits 5 factors behind Florida within the chase for second place within the Atlantic Division and residential ice within the opening spherical of the playoffs.
Recordsdata from Sportsnet had been used on this report
