Toronto Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly battles for the puck with Vegas Golden Knights' Michael Amadio during first period NHL hockey action in Toronto, on Feb. 27.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
That was fun while it lasted.
The Maple Leafs’ longest winning streak in two decades came to an end on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena at the hands of the Stanley Cup-champion Golden Knights.
Vegas got second-period goals from Ivan Barbashev, Mason Morelli and William Karlsson en route to a 6-2 victory in the Pride Celebration Game. Toronto had not lost since Feb. 10 and had won seven in a row, its lengthiest stretch without a defeat since the 2003-04 campaign.
Brock McGillis, the first openly gay professional hockey player and an inclusivity activist, was on hand, as were numerous members of the Toronto Gay Hockey Association.
The Maple Leafs returned home with a full head of steam after sweeping all four games on a road trip, including a 7-3 triumph over the Golden Knights only five days earlier. Adin Hill, who leads NHL goalies with a .927 save percentage, picked up the win. He stopped 29 of 31 shots.
Toronto is 33-17-8 and third in the Atlantic Division, while Vegas is 33-19-7 and second in the Pacific.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored for Toronto on a crisp wrist shot late in the second period, his fifth goal in the past five games and 11th overall. Bertuzzi celebrated his 29th birthday with three goals in a 4-3 victory at Colorado on Saturday. Ryan Reaves scored late in the third.
The Maple Leafs’ next game is at home on Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes. They play again on Saturday at home against the New York Rangers.
They had gone an extended hot streak since that 5-3 loss to the Senators on Feb. 10.
“There has been a change in our team since we came out of that Ottawa game,” Sheldon Keefe, the Toronto head coach, said after a pregame skate. “We’ve just seen a change in the overall feel of our team. The players have responded really well.
“There is a lot of belief in what they are doing.”
Things came apart badly in this re-match. After a good start, the Maple Leafs lost their edge and fairly well got trampled.
“I think it was our best start of the season,” Keefe said. “Then we got a little comfortable and we got slow and allowed them to settle in.
“I think everybody can be better than they were tonight.”
Keefe was ejected late in the third period for arguing with the officials. He refused to comment on what he said before he was given the boot.
Overall the team had won 11 of its last 13 outings dating back to before the all-star break and came in just seven points behind the division-leading Bruins and six behind the second-place Panthers with games in hand.
Toronto’s longest winning streak over the last half-century was 10, achieved in 1993-94.
On Tuesday it played with six left-handed shooting defencemen with a few out of position.
Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie each finished the contest minus-four. Rielly usually plays extensively on the left side but this time was moved to the right.
“It is the opposite of what you are used to but I am not making excuses,” Rielly said. “I just have to get used to it.”
During the seven-game streak Auston Matthews had 10 goals, including back-to-back hat tricks against the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks. He leads the NHL with 52 goals in 57 games. No other player in the league even has 40. Sam Reinhart of Florida has 39.
Fans anticipate Matthews scoring now almost every time he touches the puck. Before the game, an autographed Matthews jersey was being peddled for $1,250 in a silent auction and the asking price for a signed pair of his gloves was $1,100.
He entered the evening with 28 goals in 26 home games.
The tightly played first period ended with neither team on the board and each with nine shots. Vegas scored first with 10:49 remaining in the second on a breakaway by Barbashev off a lovely stretch pass from Michael Amadio.
A little more than three minutes later it struck again on a deflection by Morelli. After Bertuzzi cut the Golden Knights’ lead to 2-1 with 2:15 left before the second intermission Karlsson scored off a brilliant backhand pass by Jonathan Marchessault just inside the last minute.
Mitch Marner had posted 16 assists in the preceding seven games while extending his point streak to 10 during which he rung up 21 points. He had a goal and nine assists on the road trip and was chosen the NHL’s second star of the week. He was unable to crack the scoresheet on this occasion, however.
Marner ended up minus-three and William Nyloander minus-four.
Marchessault made it 4-1 on his 31st goal midway through the third and then Reaves scored on a 2 on 1 with 5:25 to go.
But Vegas closed out the game with an empty-netter by Alex Pietrangelo with 1:37 to play, before Nicholas Roy picked up a rebound and added one final goal with 31 seconds to play.
The contest had a playoff feel to it and was tightly contested until the visitors made the second-period breakthrough. A dozen teams had scouts on hand with the NHL trade deadline just 10 days away.
Ilya Samsonov got the start in the net and had the crowd on its feet and chanting early on with spectacular saves. He stopped 26 of 31 shots as his record dropped to 14-5-6 and was sullen afterward.
The joy the team had been feeling was washed away with the lopsided loss.
“We’ve played some good hockey but we are disappointed tonight,” said John Tavares, the Maple Leafs captain. “It doesn’t feel good to leave the rink like this right now.”