Jack Hughes scored two goals late in the third period to clinch the New Jersey Devils’ 6-3 victory over the host Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Hughes took advantage of a turnover to score his 25th goal of the season on a breakaway at 16:47 of the third. He added an empty-net tally at 18:51.
New Jersey’s Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists and Timo Meier had a goal and an assist. Luke Hughes and Max Willman also scored for the Devils (36-33-4, 76 points), while Jesper Bratt and Curtis Lazar each added three assists.
Goalie Jake Allen stopped 42 shots as the Devils won for the fourth time in five games.
Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 59th goal for the Maple Leafs (40-22-9, 89 points), who have lost two in a row. Toronto also got a goal apiece from Tyler Bertuzzi and William Nylander, two assists from TJ Brodie and 19 saves from Joseph Woll.
It was the first meeting of the season between the teams.
The Maple Leafs started the game aggressively. Max Domi’s pass put Bertuzzi into the clear to score his 16th goal of the season at 1:04 of the first period.
Luke Hughes changed the momentum when he tied the game at 4:25 of the first on a wrist shot from 30 feet. His ninth goal of the season came on New Jersey’s first shot of the game.
The Devils took a 2-1 lead when Hischier scored his 24th goal of the season at the end of a two-on-one break with Bratt at 17:56 of the first.
Nylander scored his 40th goal of the season at 3:14 of the second on a shot to the short side.
At 4:51 of the second, Matthews gave Toronto a 3-2 lead. Ilya Lyubushkin set up the play with a pass.
Meier tied the game at 5:35 of the middle period with his 24th of the season.
Willman scored his second goal of the season at 13:05 of the second on a rebound to give New Jersey a 4-3 lead.
Morgan Rielly (upper-body injury), Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) and Mitch Marner (ankle) did not play for Toronto.
–Field Level Media