Marner scores twice, Maple Leafs stay hot with win against Utah

Mitch Marner scored twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won their fourth straight game by defeating the Utah Hockey Club 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.

Marner has eight points (four goals, four assists) during a four-game multipoint streak.

“It is just kind of standard the level he brings year in and year out and what he brings to our club, what he means to this team,” Maple Leafs forward John Tavares said. “He’s an elite player, makes plays, does so many good things without [the puck], plays in all situations and brings an element to our locker room that is unique. So, we are really lucky to have him.”

William Nylander had a goal and an assist, and Joseph Woll made 23 saves for the Maple Leafs (13-6-2), who are 7-1-0 in their past eight games, each of which has been played without captain Auston Matthews, who is out with an upper-body injury.

“There’s guys in and out throughout the course of seasons in different years,” Tavares said. “Auston has missed a little bit of time before, but it’s just believing in the group and the identity we are trying to build, the type of game we are trying to play, the depth we have, and everyone is a part of it. Don’t get me wrong, we want him back as soon as possible, but good job by everyone just continuing to go to work to build and get better and earn results.”

Logan Cooley had a goal and an assist for Utah (8-10-3), which was coming off a 6-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday but is 1-4-0 in its past five games. Karel Vejmelka, who made 27 saves in the win against Pittsburgh, allowed three goals on 35 shots.

“First back-to-back of the season,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “The boys fought hard, they deserve credit for that, but we need to learn to manage the game better, learn to make sure we have short shifts, especially on back-to-backs, and play the right way.”

Cooley put Utah ahead 1-0 at 17:48 of the first period when Dylan Guenther’s one-timer from the left circle deflected in off him at the right post for a power-play goal.

“We were flat in the first I thought, and you could tell off face-offs guys weren’t jumping, not getting a pick, little things like that,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “We didn’t play north right away in the first, we were kind of trying to go back and regroup too much. We just talked about it between periods, and they did a real good job of adjusting and played a great second period.”

Marner tied it 1-1 at 5:15 of the second period, beating Vejmelka glove side on a breakaway after receiving a stretch pass from Tavares, who was below his own goal line in the right corner.

“I saw John was able to go get it and turn up ice with his head up and free space in front of him,” Marner said. “I just tried to read what I had in front of me and there was a big gap there, so I just tried to find it and John made a great pass.”

Marner then gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 9:34. Fraser Minten’s redirection attempt went wide of the net, but Marner got the puck below the goal line and immediately banked a shot in off Vejmelka’s pads.

The goal came on the second of four penalties Utah took in a 7:07 span.

“It’s a big issue. You get on the road you repeat the same mistakes, same guys, stick penalties. That’s tough,” Tourigny said. “Our game management, our game in the game, cost us a lot today, from bad changes to get in penalty trouble, it costs you at some point. We were playing a team that was playing well, who had won three in a row. They’re not easy to play against.”

Nylander pushed it to 3-1 at 10:50 of the second. He stole the puck from Cooley at the defensive blue line, skated in on a breakaway, and slid a backhand five-hole on Vejmelka.

“I just thought we played a lot better (in the second period), straightforward, north, so as soon as we started doing that we won a little bit more of the battles and made quick plays off it and got rewarded for it,” Marner said.

Jack McBain cut it to 3-2 at 1:51 of the third period when he redirected Cooley’s point shot in the slot.

Woll preserved Toronto’s lead at 12:51 by stretching out his left pad to deny Michael Carcone, who tried to jam a shot in at the right post.

“Back-to-back games are tough, but no excuses,” McBain said. “I think our first and third periods were great, but we let off the gas a bit in the second and it cost us.”

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