Matthews scores in 7th straight, Leafs beat Canucks

TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews scored twice to extend his goal streak to a career-best seven games and the Toronto Maple Leafs heaped more misery on the Vancouver Canucks with a 5-1 victory Saturday night.

Wayne Simmonds scored twice and Zach Hyman had a goal and an assist, providing the rest of the offense for Toronto (9-2-1). Frederik Andersen made 27 saves.

Mitch Marner added three assists to extend his point streak to seven games as the Leafs won their second straight against the Canucks following Thursday’s 7-3 blowout. Mikko Lehtonen chipped in with two assists for his first two-point night in the NHL.

Toronto is now 7-0-1 over its last eight to sit atop the North Division with 19 points, one better than the Montreal Canadiens.

Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver (6-9-0), which lost a fourth straight game in regulation this week. Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots in defeat.

Playing their league-leading 15th contest, the Canucks have surrendered an NHL-worst 60 goals, including at least five the ninth time.

NOTES

Simmonds was having his hand looked at by a trainer on the bench in the third before heading to the locker room. ... Matthews, who scored in six straight games to open the 2018-19 season, is the first Leafs players to register goals in seven consecutive games since Wendel Clark and Dave Andreychuk in 1993-94. ... The Leafs wore their Reverse Retro jerseys at home for the first time.

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The teams play seven more times in the NHL’s abbreviated season, including Monday back inside a fan-less Scotiabank Arena because of COVID-19 protocols to wrap up this three-game set.