Matthews gets 1st goal since return, Maple Leafs defeat Blackhawks

Auston Matthews scored his first goal in his second game since returning from an upper-body injury, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

“Maybe not the cleanest game, definitely some things we can take away, but two points are two points,” Matthews said. “Just try to clean it up and just try to be better here in the next game.”

John Tavares also scored, and Mitch Marner had two assists in his 600th NHL game for the Maple Leafs (15-7-2), who have won nine of their past 11. Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves.

“I thought we started off the way we wanted to and played our game,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “Second period not so much, we just didn’t make a play, couldn’t win a battle, couldn’t advance the puck well enough.

“We just got hemmed in our own zone and then we took penalties, but our penalty kill was excellent tonight and that was the difference in the game. And then our goalie, that’s what it boils down to.”

Toronto went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including killing off a 28-second 5-on-3 at 3:39 of the second period while leading 1-0.

Lukas Reichel scored, and Arvid Soderblom made 18 saves for the Blackhawks (8-15-2), who are 1-3-1 in their past five.

“I thought we played a fairly good game, had some possession time in their end, some chances and looks, but that’s the way it went,” Chicago defenseman TJ Brodie said. “I think we might have been able to do a better job of getting to (Stolarz), there was a couple pucks sitting there that got loose.”

Matthews gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead at 15:35 of the first period. He was sent in alone by a pass from William Nylander and scored between Soderblom’s pads.

It was the sixth goal of the season and first since Oct. 31 for Matthews, who missed nine games before getting two assists in his return on Saturday, a 5-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I just think it’s his presence on the ice in the offensive zone and the defensive zone,” Stolarz said of Matthews. “He’s so smart, he’s so strong on his stick and you can always rely on him to be in the right position in the defensive zone, and he’s always a threat in the offensive zone. Look at that goal tonight, he gets a nice pass and he just makes our team a lot better.”

Tavares extended it to 2-0 at 11:59 of the second period. He spun and had his shot at the right face-off dot go off the stick of Alex Vlasic, then off the left shoulder of Connor Murphy at the top of the goal crease and over Soderblom’s glove.

Reichel cut it to 2-1 at 3:26 of the third period when he put in a rebound at the top of the goal crease.

“Second and third period, we created chances. It wasn’t Grade A, but we were in the offensive zone buzzing, we went to the net, but unfortunately we didn’t get a good bounce to put (enough) in,” Reichel said. “We just have to find ways to win the game when it’s 2-1 or when we are down one goal. It’s pretty tough right now.”

Fraser Minten scored 21 seconds later to make it 3-1 at 3:47. Conor Timmins’ point shot ricocheted off the end boards, bounced off the side of the net and came to Minten, who scored from the bottom of the right circle.

“That’s a huge goal,” Berube said. “That was a smart play by Timmins. We talked about that, with their goalie, because he really comes out and challenges, so off the end boards, there’s some things around there. That was just a real smart play by Timmins to do that.”

Brodie, who spent the past four seasons with Toronto before signing a two-year contract with Chicago as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, said Minten’s goal took away their momentum.

“We were there throughout the whole game,” Brodie said. “Obviously we can’t give them a goal back after we score one, that’s just a momentum-killer that changes the whole game.”

Minten, a second-round pick (No. 38) in the 2022 NHL Draft, has four points (two goals, two assists) in five games this season after playing in four NHL games last season without getting a point before returning to the Western Hockey League. He missed all of training camp after sustaining a high ankle sprain in September at the 2024 Prospect Showdown, and returned Nov. 9 for Toronto of the American Hockey League.

“I just think he’s such a cerebral player, he’s very smart and his hockey IQ definitely jumps out when you watch him play,” Matthews said of Minten. “Maybe not the fastest guy or biggest and strongest guy, but the way he is able to adapt his game for what the situation presents really stands out to me.”

Matthew Knies scored an empty-net goal at 18:15 for the 4-1 final.

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