TORONTO — In a strong showing for the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs, Fraser Minten netted his first goal in the NHL while the team secured a decisive 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night.

William Nylander contributed to the score with his 13th goal of the season just seconds into the third period, creating a power play opportunity at 3:01. An empty-net goal was scored by Pontus Holmberg later in the game.

Joseph Woll was impressive in the net, stopping all 31 shots from Vegas, marking his first shutout of the season. On the other end, Adin Hill started for the Golden Knights, making 23 saves during the match.

Toronto’s recent form has seen them win six of their last seven games, while the Golden Knights have now suffered two consecutive losses as coach Bruce Cassidy aims for his 400th career win.

Both squads were missing their respective captains; Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs was sidelined with an upper-body injury for the seventh consecutive game, while Mark Stone from Vegas was out due to a lower-body issue, missing his sixth game in a row. The Leafs were also without the services of Max Domi, David Kampf, Max Pacioretty, and Calle Jarnkrok. Meanwhile, Ryan Reaves began a five-game suspension following an illegal check on Darnell Nurse of the Oilers.

In a notable moment during the second period, Toronto’s Matthew Knies found himself dazed after a mid-ice collision with Zach Whitecloud near the Leafs’ bench. Although Whitecloud was not penalized for the hit itself, he did receive a minor roughing penalty following a scuffle with Simon Benoit of Toronto. Soon after, Benoit was given a four-minute penalty for his retaliation. This incident escalated the physical nature of the game, but unfortunately for the Leafs, Knies (upper-body injury) did not return.

Statistically, the Maple Leafs were able to successfully contain Vegas’s power play, which ranks as the second-best in the league, as the Golden Knights failed to convert on three power play opportunities.

Looking ahead, the Maple Leafs will complete a three-game homestand when they face off against the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday. In contrast, Vegas will continue on their five-game road trip, heading to Ottawa for their next match on Thursday.