Ducks fall to Maple Leafs as losing streak stretches to five games
TORONTO — Max Pacioretty had two goals and an assist and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ducks 3-2 on Thursday night.
William Nylander also scored and John Tavares had two assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won two straight. Anthony Stolarz started in goal and stopped seven before leaving because of a lower-body injury. Joseph Woll took over to start the second period and had 19 saves.
Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist, Frank Vatrano also scored and Ryan Strome had two assists for the Ducks in their fifth straight loss. Lukas Dostal finished with 30 saves.
Ducks forward Trevor Zegras will be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Pacioretty and Nylander scored in the first period to give the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead before Vatrano got the Ducks on the scoreboard with a power-play goal on a shot from the sideboards with 4:04 to go in the period.
Pacioretty’s second goal gave Toronto a 3-1 advantage midway through the second. LaCombe then scored 1:05 later with a shot from the high slot.
Takeaways
Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs reported Stolarz suffered a lower-body injury. He shook out his right leg after the Ducks’ first goal.
Ducks: Robby Fabbri returned to the lineup less than four weeks after he underwent his fifth knee surgery on Nov. 15. He was expected to miss six to eight weeks. ... Trevor Zegras will miss six weeks after surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Key moment: Mason McTavish cruised down the wing on a partial breakaway with 1:43 remaining in the first period, but Stolarz kept his team in front with an arm save.
Key stat: The Maple Leafs scored first for only the 14th time in 29 outings. They have the league’s best win percentage when scoring first at .893 (12-1-1).
Up next: Ducks visit Columbus on Saturday to conclude a four-game trip, and Maple Leafs visit Detroit.
