Leafs best Panthers as Aston Matthews nets two more

Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 61st and 62nd goals of the season and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Florida Panthers 6-4 Monday night.

Toronto took a 5-1 lead into the third period but Florida cut it to 5-4 before Matthews scored into an empty net at 19:14.

Matthews added an assist to establishing a new career high with the two goals.

Nicholas Robertson and Matthew Knies each had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won three in a row. Tyler Bertuzzi and David Kampf also scored for Toronto (43-22-9, 95 points).

Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves in the win.

Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists and Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennet and Brandon Montour also scored for Florida (47-23-5, 99 points).

Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 16 shots in two periods for the Panthers, who have lost seven of nine. Anthony Stolarz took over in the third period and made six saves.

Toronto scored twice in 33 seconds in the first period.

Knies made the pass after a turnover that sprung Robertson, who scored his 12th goal of the season on a breakaway at 13:59.

TJ Brodie set up Matthews, who was unimpeded in front of the net to make the tap in that give Toronto a 2-0 lead at 14:32.

Montour scored his seventh goal of the season 47 seconds into the second period on a quick shot.

Bertuzzi scored his 19th goal on a tip-in from a Matthews pass at 1:26 of the second.

Kampf scored his seventh goal at 8:32 of the second on a nine-foot wrist shot. Knies scored his 13th of the season at 14:05 when pounced on a loose puck in front of the net.

Tarasenko scored his 22nd on a tip-in at 2:12 of the third period.

Reinhart scored his 52nd on a 16-foot one-timer at 11:58 of the third.

With the goaltender removed for an extra attacker, Bennett scored his 17th at 18:10.

Joel Edmundson (undisclosed), Timothy Liljegren (upper-body injury) Morgan Rielly (upper-body injury) and Mitchell Marner (ankle) did not play for Toronto.

—Field Level Media