CALGARY, Alberta — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday night, William Nylander scored a remarkable three goals, marking the second hat trick of his career, as the Toronto Maple Leafs triumphed over the Calgary Flames with a final score of 6-3.
John Tavares, Bobby McMann, and Matthew Knies contributed additional goals for Toronto, which now finds itself just one point away from the top of the Atlantic Division, trailing Florida. Auston Matthews had an outstanding evening, providing three assists, while goaltender Joseph Woll made 23 saves to secure the victory.
For Calgary, Matt Coronato, Yegor Sharangovich, and Joel Farabee each netted goals, with the Flames starting the game two points ahead of Vancouver for the important second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Calgary’s goalie, Dustin Wolf, recorded 24 saves throughout the match.
Nylander’s first career hat trick occurred exactly eight years ago in a game against Boston. Currently, he has scored nine goals in his last eight games, bringing his season total to an impressive 33, which ranks him second in the NHL, trailing only Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl by four goals.
The game kicked off with an unusual sequence, as both teams initially believed they had scored the opening goal, only to see both attempts negated. At 6:30 of the first period, Tavares managed to bat a rebound into the net past Wolf, but it was disallowed after a review for a high stick. Shortly after, Farabee found the net by jamming in a loose puck, but Toronto successfully challenged the play, resulting in the goal being overturned for goalie interference.
In terms of takeaways from the game, the Maple Leafs played without forward Mitch Marner, who missed his first game of the season due to a lower-body injury. Despite his absence, Toronto’s power play thrived, scoring on their first two opportunities and finishing the game with two goals from four chances against Calgary.
For the Flames, goals from Coronato and Sharangovich were achieved during extended two-man advantages. Calgary’s power play has shown notable improvement, finishing 2 for 5 on the night and bringing their success rate to 9 for 24 over the last seven games.
A pivotal moment in the match occurred late in the second period. Tied at 2-2, Toronto pulled ahead when McMann chose to take the shot himself during a 2-on-1 with Steven Lorentz, expertly sending the puck past Wolf low on his blocker side for his 16th goal of the season just 7:32 before the second intermission.
A significant statistical note is that the Maple Leafs have experienced variability in their offensive performance lately. In five of their last ten games, they were limited to fewer than two goals, while in the other five games, they managed to score four or more.
Looking ahead, the Maple Leafs are set to face Seattle on Thursday, while the Flames will host Colorado.
