Kapanen lifts the Maple Leafs over the Jets after the untimely exit of Matthews

TORONTO – Kasperi Kapanen scored the winner with time remaining after Jake Gardiner equalized 26 seconds earlier. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated center Auston Matthews to defeat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Saturday night.

Matthews left the game in the second period due to an injury to the shoulder and did not return.

Nazem Kadri scored the other goal for Toronto (8-3-0), who had 22 saves from Frederik Andersen. Mitch Marner added two badists, reaching 100% in his NHL career, as the Leafs ended a series of three home defeats.

Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele responded for Winnipeg (7-4-1). Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves.

Toronto beat the Jets 4-2 on Wednesday at Bell MTS Place to snap a two-game slide. Winnipeg played for the third time in four evenings after their 2-1 road win on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Jets, who played for the eighth time in two weeks, were to leave immediately after the match for Finland, where they will face the Florida Panthers in Helsinki on Thursday and Friday.

Down 2-0 over two periods, Kadri scored a goal from Toronto at 6:33 of third place, allowing her to score a second goal of the season and second of the same number of games after scoring nine games without a goal. to open the calendar.

In the absence of Matthews, Kadri found Marner and Patrick Marleau, his linemates from last season.

Toronto performed the power play shortly after entering the board, but Hellebuyck was there to prevent Kadri's reorientation into the slot.

Gardiner, who scored his first goal of the season in the 500th game of his career, was unable to tie in front of the Winnipeg goalkeeper, while it was 3:11 to go before Kapanen mark the goal of the next quarter.

Rising 1-0 after the opening period, the Jets doubled their lead in the 11th minute of the second when Kadri gave the puck to Scheifele in the offensive blue line. The center of the Jets ran in the other direction and beat Andersen in front of the blocker for his sixth goal and the fourth in as many games.

Toronto lost Matthews 90 seconds after the start of the period, after Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba scrubbed a side-by-side check on the side of the Winnipeg net.

Matthews, third in the NHL with 16 points (10 goals, six badists) despite the absence of the scoresheet in the last three games, is immediately headed to the bench in favor of his left side before to go directly to the cloakroom. -piece. The 21-year-old missed 20 games last season due to an injury, including a month on the shelf due to a problem in the right shoulder.

If Matthews is away for a long time, it would mean that the Leafs would not have two-thirds of the lineage of Marleau-Matthews-William Nylander, a restricted free agent still mired in a contractual deadlock, that the Head Coach Mike Babbad has considered this summer. following the addition of John Tavares.

Connor opened the scoring at 9:38 of the first period power play, beating Andersen for his second goal in as many nights against Blake Wheeler after Leafs defensemen Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev left the wingman alone on the side. balloon. net.

Toronto had a few chances earlier in the season, including a Matthews shot with Hellebuyck at his mercy who hit the post with the advantage of a Leafs man.

Tavares narrowly missed Marner with a 2-on-1 pbad to Toronto after Connor gave the lead to Winnipeg before Hellebuyck made a pleasant save on a Marleau shot.

Not to be outdone, Andersen stood at the other end of Bryan Little's reorientation in another Jets power play.

Remarks: "The Hockey Song" by Stompin 'Tom Connors was immortalized at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame before the game. The iconic sports anthem was performed during the second period by country singer Tim Hicks. … Leafs winger Tyler Ennis also played in his 500th game. Gardiner has played his entire career in Toronto, while Ennis has signed this summer. … Kadri will reach the goal when his team host the Calgary Flames on Monday. … Toronto defenseman Travis Dermott (illness) missed his second consecutive game.