Maple Leafs Defeat Lightning 5-3 as Auston Matthews Returns to Lineup

Toronto holds off Tampa Bay's late surge, with Joseph Woll making 38 saves and Matthews contributing two assists in his first game back after injury.

The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, extending their strong form to 8 wins in their last 10 games.
Auston Matthews returned after missing nine games due to an upper-body injury, assisting on two goals, including William Nylander's empty-netter that sealed the win.
Joseph Woll delivered a strong performance in goal for Toronto, stopping 38 shots and earning his fifth consecutive win.
Chris Tanev contributed a goal and an assist, while Mitch Marner reached a milestone by becoming the fourth player in franchise history to record at least 30 points in each of his first nine seasons.
Tampa Bay, missing leading scorer Nikita Kucherov, mounted a late comeback with three third-period goals, but fell short despite Victor Hedman becoming the franchise's all-time assist leader with 590.