Nashville Predators at Toronto Maple Leafs
· National Hockey League
Maple Leafs snap a 2-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the Predators
Auston Matthews had two goals, including an empty-netter, and Jake McCabe and Bobby McMann also scored for Toronto. Cayden Primeau made 26 saves. William Nylander had two assists and added an empty-net goal. Matthew Knies finished with three assists.
Nick Perbix had a goal and an assist, and Michael McCarron, Erik Haula and Roman Josi scored for Nashville. Justus Annunen stopped 21 shots in a matchup of backup goaltenders.
Primeau, who was picked off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes last week with Joseph Woll away from the Maple Leafs due to a family matter, registered his first NHL victory since Nov. 27, 2024, with the Montreal Canadiens.
Toronto head coach Craig Berube called a timeout after Nashville scored goals 44 seconds apart in the second period to erase a 2-0 deficit. The Maple Leafs pushed ahead when Tavares scored his first goal of the season by banging home a loose puck after a nifty give-and-go between Nylander and Ekman-Larsson. McMann made it 4-2 through 40 minutes.
Toronto was coming off a 3-2 home loss to Detroit on Monday, while Nashville picked up a 4-1 victory over the Senators in Ottawa.
Maple Leafs: Host the New York Rangers on Thursday in the third game of a five-game homestand.
Regular Season SeriesTOR leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
 |
Goal | 1st Period 8:42 | Jake McCabe Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Dakota Joshua (1), John Tavares (3) |
|
Goal | 1st Period 13:34 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: William Nylander (4), Simon Benoit (1) |
 |
Goal | 2nd Period 3:21 | Michael McCarron Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Brady Skjei (1), Nick Perbix (1) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 4:05 | Erik Haula Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Ozzy Wiesblatt (1) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 8:49 | John Tavares Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: William Nylander (5), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (1) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 16:24 | Bobby McMann Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Nicholas Robertson (1), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 10:42 | Auston Matthews Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Matthew Knies (3), Easton Cowan (1) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 16:06 | Roman Josi Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Adam Wilsby (1), Jonathan Marchessault (2) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 16:50 | Auston Matthews Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: John Tavares (4), Matthew Knies (4) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 18:49 | Nick Perbix Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Adam Wilsby (2), Ozzy Wiesblatt (2) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 19:36 | William Nylander Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Matthew Knies (5), Jake McCabe (1) |
Statistics
 NSH |
 TOR |
|
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Blocked Shots | 20 |
| 18 | Hits | 21 |
| 4 | Takeaways | 4 |
| 30 | Shots | 28 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 2 | Power Play Opportunities | 2 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 29 | Faceoffs Won | 30 |
| 49.2 | Faceoff Win Percent | 50.8 |
| 17 | Giveaways | 17 |
| 3 | Total Penalties | 3 |
| 6 | Penalty Minutes | 6 |
Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Rifai, D | Injured Reserve | Dec 18 |
| Anthony Stolarz, G | Injured Reserve | Dec 16 |
| Chris Tanev, D | Injured Reserve | Dec 15 |
| Brandon Carlo, D | Injured Reserve | Dec 12 |
| Dakota Mermis, D | Injured Reserve | Dec 10 |
Nashville Predators Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|
Game Information
Scotiabank Arena
Location: Toronto, ON
Attendance: 18,124 | Capacity:
Location: Toronto, ON
Attendance: 18,124 | Capacity:
