Nick Schmaltz scored a power play goal at 13:12 of the third period to give the Utah Mammoth a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. Jack Roslovic scored twice for Toronto and Auston Matthews assisted on both goals, but the Maple Leafs opened a six-game homestand with a loss and fell to 1-3-0 in their past four games.
Schmaltz’s winner came on a rebound. Sergei Bobrovsky stretched to his left to make a pad save on a Clayton Keller one-timer, and the puck sat loose in the crease for Schmaltz to poke home.
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That was a great play from Mikhail Sergachev to Keller, it was a heck of a save by Bobrovsky, so I just tried to get in there and whack it in. It was a nice one just sitting there for me.
Roslovic Brings Toronto Back Twice
Utah opened the scoring late in the first period. Dylan Guenther scored on the power play at 19:47, taking a pass from Sergachev and shooting through traffic past Bobrovsky’s blocker from the top of the right face-off circle. Keller finished the night with three assists for the Mammoth, who improved to 10-6-0.
Roslovic tied the game 1-1 at 10:20 of the second period. Matthews created a turnover behind the net and swung the puck into the slot, where Roslovic shot over Sebastian Cossa’s glove from the top of the left circle. The goal extended Roslovic’s point streak to a career-high seven games, with five goals and seven assists in that span.
Utah went back in front at 13:42 of the second. Bobrovsky made a left pad save on Keller, the rebound bounced to Andrew Peeke just inside the blue line, and his shot went in as Barrett Hayton made contact with Bobrovsky’s right skate. Toronto chose not to challenge. A second Utah goal was disallowed at 17:20 after review found Hayton had interfered with Bobrovsky in the crease. Roslovic then tied it 2-2 at 9:05 of the third, taking a pass from Matthews at the blue line, skating in alone and tucking a backhand deke past Cossa’s blocker.
A Penalty Decides A Tight Game
The winning power play came from a Darren Raddysh cross-checking penalty away from the play at 11:42 of the third period. Toronto coach Jim Hiller addressed it directly after the game.
I think he knows pretty clearly. I haven’t seen that happen over and over again. That’s a one-off I guess in his case. He said he didn’t like the penalty and took it on himself, he understands that. That’s hockey.
Hiller also explained the decision not to challenge the Peeke goal, saying Bobrovsky was in the white ice but got wiped out, and that the rule is tricky to interpret. Toronto pushed late with the extra attacker, and Roslovic hit the post in the closing seconds chasing a hat trick and a tie, but Cossa’s 27 saves held up. Bobrovsky made 33 saves for Toronto in the loss.
Matthews, who extended his own point streak to five games, was blunt about the start his team made in its first game home after a 2-2-0 road trip.
We just didn’t really have our legs or the energy needed to compete. It’s a team that transitions well, plays with a lot of speed and skill, and I thought we got our game going in the second half a little bit. It’s right there for us.
What It Means For Toronto
Toronto is 8-7-2, and the pattern of the night will concern the coaching staff more than the single result. The Maple Leafs needed half the game to find their legs, tied the score twice through one line, and then gave a dangerous power play the opening it needed. Utah now leads the NHL with 20 power play goals and became the fourth team in the past decade to record 20 power play goals in 16 games or fewer. Giving that unit a late third-period chance, on a penalty away from the play, is exactly how a winnable home game gets lost.
There were individual positives. Roslovic’s seven-game point streak is the best run of his career, Matthews has points in five straight, and Bobrovsky’s 33 saves kept Toronto close while it searched for its game. Bobrovsky remains tied with Henrik Lundqvist at sixth on the NHL all-time wins list with 459. Sergachev extended his point streak to eight games for Utah, which has now beaten Toronto twice this season after a 5-4 win on October 13.
The Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, the next game in a homestand against opponents with winning records. Utah visits Montreal on Thursday. For Toronto, the ask is straightforward: start on time, stay out of the box late, and make a visiting team earn its winner five on five.
