VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Interstat) — Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored in a shootout and the Toronto Maple Leafs ended a six-game losing streak by beating the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night. After a scoreless first period at Rogers Arena, Nicolas Roy and Max Domi scored for Toronto in regulation. Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander answered for Vancouver, both in the second period. Matthews was denied on a penalty shot in overtime after Vancouver’s Conor Garland was called for hooking on a breakaway. Matthews and Nylander then converted in the shootout. Joseph Woll made 28 saves for Toronto. Nikita Tolopilo stopped 39 shots for Vancouver. The Maple Leafs improved to 25-30. The Canucks fell to 18-37.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Interstat) — Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored in a shootout and the Toronto Maple Leafs snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night at Rogers Arena. Matthews had a chance to win the game in overtime when he was awarded a penalty shot after Vancouver’s Conor Garland was called for hooking on a breakaway, but Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo made the save to force the shootout. In the tiebreaker, Matthews beat Tolopilo with a backhand before Nylander also scored on a backhand. Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson scored on his attempt, but Jake DeBrusk hit the post on the Canucks’ second shot, sealing the victory for Toronto. The Maple Leafs improved to 25-30, while the Canucks fell to 18-37 in front of an announced crowd of 18,905. The game was a goaltending duel for long stretches, with Tolopilo making 39 saves on 41 shots and Toronto’s Joseph Woll stopping 28 of 30. The contest was scoreless through the first period before both offenses awoke in the second. Vancouver struck first at 4:11 of the second period. Rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki collected a pass from Liam Ohgren and beat Woll with a wrist shot for his second goal of the season, with Pierre-Olivier Joseph also assisting. Toronto answered at 6:34 of the middle frame. Nicolas Roy took a pass from Nicholas Robertson and fired a slap shot past Tolopilo for his fifth goal of the year. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also recorded an assist on the play. The Canucks regained the lead just over two minutes later. Rookie defenseman Tom Willander took a feed from Evander Kane and Pettersson before wiring a wrist shot past Woll for his fourth goal at 8:45 of the second. The Maple Leafs pushed for the equalizer in the third, finally breaking through at 6:32. Matthews won an offensive zone faceoff back to Max Domi, who quickly snapped a wrist shot past Tolopilo for his ninth goal of the season, tying the game 2-2. Toronto carried much of the play in the latter stages of regulation and into overtime, outshooting Vancouver 41-30 through 65 minutes. The Maple Leafs’ best chance came on the penalty shot with 7:14 remaining in the extra period, but Tolopilo stood tall to extend the game. The victory halted a difficult skid for the Maple Leafs, whose previous win was a 4-3 overtime decision at Colorado on Jan. 12. Their six-game losing streak included four regulation losses and two overtime defeats. For the Canucks, the shootout loss continued a pattern of competitive but ultimately unsuccessful outings. Vancouver has now lost four of its last five games, with three of those defeats coming by a single goal. The game’s statistical projections proved inaccurate, as National Statistical’s simulator had predicted a 2-0 Toronto shutout and its ELO system gave the Maple Leafs a 60.4% probability to win. The combined four goals fell well under the over/under line of 6.5, though Toronto did cover the -1.5 spread with the shootout victory. The two teams had met just three weeks prior in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs earning a 5-0 victory on Jan. 10. Toronto continues its Western Canada road trip with games at Calgary on Monday and Edmonton on Tuesday. Vancouver heads out for a two-game trip, visiting Utah on Monday and Vegas on Wednesday. Other notable performances for Toronto included Domi’s goal and an assist from Matthews, who fired seven shots on net. Ekman-Larsson also contributed an assist against his former team. For Vancouver, Kane’s assist extended his point streak to three games, while Pettersson’s helper gave him 21 assists on the season. The game was relatively clean, with only two minor penalties called in regulation. Toronto’s Scott Laughton and Vancouver’s Pettersson received matching minors for cross-checking and roughing, respectively, late in the second period before Garland’s tripping penalty in overtime led to the penalty shot.

MAPLE LEAFS, CANUCKS MEET IN REMATCH OF ONE-SIDED AFFAIR VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Interstat) — The Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks will complete a home-and-home set Saturday night at Rogers Arena, with the visitors looking to replicate a dominant performance from earlier this month. The Maple Leafs (24-29-0) routed the Canucks 5-0 in Toronto on Jan. 10, part of a prolonged slump for both clubs. Toronto has lost seven of its last 10 games (3-6-1), including a 7-4 defeat to Buffalo on Tuesday. Vancouver (17-36-0) has fared worse, dropping eight of 10. All eyes will be on Toronto center Auston Matthews, who had a goal and two assists in the loss to Buffalo. He also recorded an assist in the Jan. 10 shutout of Vancouver. Matthews has points in three of his last four games. The Canucks, mired in a five-game losing streak, are expected to start goaltender Nikita Tolopilo. The netminder is 0-3-0 in his last three appearances, allowing 14 goals on 103 shots. He was in net for the 5-0 loss in Toronto earlier this month. Vancouver’s offense has sputtered, being shut out twice and scoring two or fewer goals in four of its last five contests. Elias Pettersson, who had two assists in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to San Jose, remains a key catalyst. For Toronto, secondary scoring emerged against Buffalo with Max Domi and Bobby McMann each recording three points. The Maple Leafs will need continued depth as they open a three-game Western Canada trip. The Canucks begin a three-game trip of their own after Saturday’s contest. Both teams are well outside playoff position, making this a matchup of clubs seeking to build momentum for the season’s final months. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.