TORONTO (AP) – Reilly Smith scored his second goal of the game 23 seconds into overtime and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Tuesday night for their eighth straight win.
Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy also scored for Vegas, which has won 12 of 14 this season. William Karlsson had two assists and Logan Thompson stopped 28 shots.
Timothy Liljegren scored twice and Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist for Toronto, and Erik Kallgren made 16 saves. The Maple Leafs snapped a three-game winning streak.
In overtime, Smith took a pass from Shea Theodore and backhanded Kallgren for his seventh of the season.
Vegas completed a two-game season sweep, also defeating Toronto 3-1 at home on October 24th.
The Maple Leafs trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes, and Kallgren held them within one in the second period with shutouts by Keegan Kolesar, William Carrier and Smith. Marner then tied it with a big individual effort to get his third of the season with 6:10 left in the period. That extended his point streak to seven games.
Toronto took its first lead with just over three minutes remaining, as Marner sent Liljegren’s smooth butt without a look, and the defenseman got his second of the night — and his second of the season.
Marner had the puck kicked out of the game on a delay of game penalty early in the third period, but Kallgren saved his teammate with a big stop on Chandler Stephenson.
Toronto got its power play going midway through the period, but Smith scored his sixth on a short-handed 2-on-1 rush with 8:17 left to tie the game.
Vegas opened the scoring 45 seconds after Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin turned the puck over at the offensive blue line. Kallgren stopped the ensuing Carrier, but the puck slipped through and Roy was there to lay it in for his fourth.
The Leafs answered at 5:05 when Liljegren took a feed from David Kampf and scored his first goal.
However, after Liljegren’s play, Eichel scored his sixth goal to put the Golden Knights back in front with 2:05 left in the first period.
MURRAY COMES CLOSER
Kallgren was forced into action, and Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov are dealing with injuries. Murray is scheduled to participate in practice on Wednesday – the goaltender’s first ice match with the core group since the groin/abduction injury on Oct. 15.
Samsonov carried the bulk of the load while Murray sat out, but suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s win against Boston. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday that he is considered week-to-week.
NEXT
Golden Knights: At Buffalo on Thursday night in the finale of a five-game road trip.
Maple Leafs: Host Pittsburgh on Friday night in the second of a three-game homestand.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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