Nicholas Robertson scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs found offense from their blue line, earning their second straight win out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 23.
It took 19:49 before we saw the game’s first goal. On the power play, forward Teuvo Teravainen potted his 13th of the season to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
The Maple Leafs scored three straight in the second frame, including two from Robertson for his ninth and 10th of the season, while Jake McCabe fired one from the point for his second of the season, scoring on the team he was traded from almost exactly two years ago.
The Blackhawks again scored with only seconds left on the clock, this time from Philipp Kurashev, cutting it to 3-2 going into the third period.
Midway through the third period, the Maple Leafs extended their lead to 4-2 with a Chris Tanev wrist shot squeaking past Blackhawks’ goaltender Arvid Soderblom. With just over a minute left in the game, Pontus Holmberg scored on an empty netter to make it 5-2, giving Toronto their second win in two nights.
The Maple Leafs are now 35-20-2 with 72 points, climbing past the Florida Panthers for first in the Atlantic Division. Toronto is now 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. They continue their road trip next week with games against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 25, the New York Rangers on Feb. 28 and Pittsburgh Penguins on March 2.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have now lost 13 of their last 16 games and have a record of 17-33-7 with 41 points, last in the Central Division and owners of the second-worst record in the NHL. Next week, they go on a three-game road trip, starting on Feb. 25 against Utah Hockey Club, Feb. 27 against the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks on March 1.
