TORONTO — Nicholas Robertson scored twice on his season debut, including going 1-14 in overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
Robertson played a pass once Austin Matthews at the right faceoff to give the Maple Leafs the win. It was the 21-year-old’s first overtime goal and his first multi-goal game in the NHL.
“It was exciting,” said Robertson. “I was just excited. They dream of scoring an overtime winner in the NHL, but now for me it’s just about going on and making money every day.
“A 3v1 and I’m going with the best player and one of the best defenders in the league (Morgan Rielly), so it was pretty easy to put that in.”
Video: DAL@TOR: Robertson scores 2nd of the game for OT win
Alexander Kerfoot achieved and Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves for Toronto (3-2-0), who lost 4-2 to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.
“It was a good win,” said Kerfoot. “This team doesn’t give up much. They play well through the neutral zone, don’t give you anything out of rush and you have to work for whatever you get against them. Our special teams weren’t great tonight, that kind of made the difference in how the game ended, but we found a way to do it in overtime and get the two points.”
Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves (3-0-1) on his debut of the season for Dallas.
“That’s a good waypoint,” said Stars coach Peter DeBoer. “I thought Wedgewood were excellent. We found a way to get a point in a difficult building. We knew they were going to be really good and they were. If we had been able to stay outside the box, I liked our odds game.”
Toronto went 8-1 on the power play; Dallas was 1-to-4.
“Lots of penalties,” Stars pointed out Tyler Seguin said. “Our PK did a great job but when we take that many penalties it’s hard for anyone to really keep the rhythm but for an away game it was decent.”
Robertson gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead at 1:59 of the third period when he shot out of the slot after taking a pass from Michael Buntwho was in the corner.
Video: DAL@TOR: Robertson scores opener on season debut
Robertson had eight points in five preseason games but was assigned Toronto from the American Hockey League before being recalled Sunday.
“It’s certainly been up and down (since he was sent downstairs),” Robertson said. “To be sent down given the Cap place and everything, the situation was difficult to understand. That was hard. But now a night like this makes up for it. But I don’t want to have just one night, I want to be consistent, play well and help the team.”
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said he has no qualms about using Robertson in overtime.
“He felt it,” Keefe said. “I had to keep myself from throwing him out earlier (in overtime). I thought he made a good game. Lots of open ice out there, I thought he could make a game and he did. A great finish by him but I loved how the game played out, they had the Rocket Richard Trophy winner that came through the whistle and he makes the right play, gets all the goalie’s attention and puts it down for Nick out to end it.
Seguin equalized it at 7:21 on the power play, 2-2. The goal was initially flagged due to unauthorized contact by the goalkeeper. The Stars challenged, and the goal was allowed on review after Maple Leafs were discovered to be a forward Mitchell Marner initiated the contact.
“I thought it wouldn’t count because they said no goal on the ice and then it took so long,” Seguin said. “I said it probably wouldn’t happen, but I didn’t think I did anything wrong and I’m one of those guys who always thinks you’re innocent.”
Video: DAL@TOR: Seguin knocks through traffic in PPG
The Stars took a 1-0 lead at 2:45 p.m. of the first period Luke Glendening After that, put a rebound in the slot Nils Lundkvist Shot from the side walls.
Kerfoot leveled it 1-1 at 2:31 of the second period on the power play when he grabbed a rebound from the bottom of the right circle for his first goal of the season.
“We know we have to keep building and getting better and that’s what this season is all about,” said Kerfoot. “We’re nowhere near our best at the moment but we just have to keep going, staying together as a group, knowing we have to work harder and we’re going to get to a better place.”
REMARKS: Robertson and his brother stars forward Jason Robertson, met for the second time in an NHL regular-season game. In their last meeting on March 15, every player went without a point in the 4-0 win in Toronto. … Robertson becomes the second player in NHL history to score his first overtime goal of the regular season in a game in which his brother was the opponent. The other: Corb Denneny (Toronto St. Pats) versus his brother Cy Denneny (Ottawa Senators) on Jan. 22, 1921. … Matthews’s overtime assist was his 200th in the NHL. … Maple Leafs centered John Tavares led all players with eight shots. … Toronto defender Victor Mete had a shot in 10:02 on his season debut.
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