Coyotes Fall to Maple Leafs in Toronto on Thursday

STATS

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- Alex Kerfoot and Logan Cooley scored, and Connor Ingram made 22 saves, but the Arizona Coyotes fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Thursday.

Matthew Knies, Tyler Bertuzzi, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won eight of their last nine games. Joseph Woll made 30 saves to earn his ninth win of the season.

Arizona outshot Toronto 13-4 in the third period, and 32-26 in the game.

"I felt like we dominated the third period, we had so many chances," forward Liam O'Brien said. "Guys were battling ... making big defensive plays, blocking shots, doing the things we needed to do to get it done."

Knies opened the scoring at 13:04 of the first period, taking a drop pass from Mitch Marner before beating Ingram to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead. The 21-year-old Phoenix native is in his first full NHL season after playing with Logan Cooley at the University of Minnesota last season.

Bertuzzi gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead just 1:05 into the second period, redirecting William Lagesson’s shot from the blue line past Ingram, and Matthews made it 3-0 at 13:12 of the middle frame, wristing one past Ingram from the slot.

"Disappointing the way we started the game, I think we were stubborn," head coach André Tourigny said. "We knew how to play, what we had to exploit. We didn't start the right way and that gave them chances and opportunities and some momentum.

"I think during the game we got better, and we had some success."

Kerfoot got the Coyotes on the board with a shorthanded goal just over a minute later, poking the puck free at Arizona’s blue line before racing in on a breakaway and beating Woll glove side. The 29-year-old was playing in his first game back in Toronto after appearing in 285 games with the Maple Leafs from 2019-20 through 2022-23.

Cooley made it 3-2 midway through the third period, firing in a rebound from Matias Maccelli’s shot that ended up behind Woll, but Nylander rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal at 19:00 to essentially ice the game.

"Our guys never quit," Tourigny said. "We have a good group in that way. They never quit."

Arizona is back in action against the Ottawa Senators on Friday, wrapping up the Canadian portion of their five-game road trip. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 pm MST, and the game will be broadcast on Arizona 61 (TV) and ESPN 620 (Radio).