Maple Leafs Win Fifth in a Row, Take the Lead in Tight Atlantic Division Race

William Nylander scored his 35th goal of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-5 in overtime on March 2nd. Nylander scored the winner at just a minute into overtime. It was the fifth straight victory for Toronto, and eighth in its last nine games. Besides Nylander, John Tavares, Max Domi, Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Conor Timmons had goals for the Leafs. Though his team lost, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby reached a couple of personal milestones. Crosby scored a goal and had two assists. He now has 611 goals, passing Bobby Hull for 18th place on the NHL all time goals list; with 1050 assists, he has passed Gordie Howe for 10th in career assists.

Toronto (38-20-2, 78 points) took the lead in the Atlantic Division of the NHL by one point over the Florida Panthers. The Tampa Bay Lightning are close behind with 74 points. All three teams have been on a roll lately, with both the Leafs and Panthers going 8-2 in their last 10 games, and Tampa Bay at 9-0-1 in their last 10, including eight wins in a row. Toronto is second overall in the Eastern Conference, behind the Washington Capitals (84 points). The Penguins (24-29-10, 58 points) are headed the other way Pittsburgh is last in the Metropolitan Division and 2nd from the bottom in the Eastern Division overall.

The Leafs will be in action on March 3rd, hosting the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks (15-37-9, 39 points) have the worst record in the NHL. Toronto does have one game left with Tampa Bay, and three with the Panthers, so they’ll have ample opportunities to hold off their pursuers.