CHICAGO — In a thrilling matchup, Nicholas Robertson found the back of the net twice during the second period, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night.
Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev each contributed with a goal and an assist, marking a strong performance for Toronto as they celebrated their second consecutive win following a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Max Domi stood out with two assists, while goaltender Joseph Woll made 25 crucial saves.
For the Blackhawks, Teuvo Teravainen and Phillipp Kurashev managed to score, but unfortunately, the team faced heartbreak after suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat at Columbus the previous day. Tyler Bertuzzi also had a positive impact, racking up two assists in the loss.
The game began favorably for Chicago when Teravainen scored a power-play goal, which was his 500th career point, with just 11 seconds left in the first period. However, the tide turned in the second as Toronto fought back.
Max Domi set up Robertson for a power-play goal at 7:09, leveling the score. McCabe’s impressive shot from the blue line soon followed, giving Toronto a 2-1 lead. Domi quickly added to his assists by connecting with Robertson again, who netted his 10th goal of the season just 15 seconds before the period ended.
The Blackhawks weren’t ready to give up and cut the deficit to 3-2 when Frank Nazar drove toward the net, assisting Kurashev for his fifth goal in the closing seconds of the second period.
Robertson had a chance to score again in that period, but defenseman T.J. Brodie made a spectacular play to prevent the puck from crossing the goal line.
Takeaways from this game include the fact that Domi has been in a scoring slump, with his last goal coming on December 21, but showed promise against one of his former teams.
The Blackhawks began the game much stronger compared to their previous outing against Columbus, yet struggled to maintain that momentum against the more skilled Maple Leafs.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Toronto extended its lead to 4-2 after Tanev’s shot deflected off Brodie’s skate and into the net.
In terms of statistics, the Maple Leafs improved their record to 6-4-1 when playing on the second day of back-to-back games.
Looking ahead, both teams will be on the road for their next games on Tuesday night, with Toronto set to take on Boston and Chicago heading to Utah.
