Canucks storm back to down Maple Leafs

TORONTO — Alex Chiasson scored the winner and Thatcher Demko made 34 saves as the Vancouver Canucks came back from a goal down in the third period to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 on Saturday night.

J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, Travis Hamonic and Tanner Pearson had goal and an assist each for Vancouver (28-23-6). Tyler Motte scored into an empty net. Bo Horvat chipped in with two assists.

Auston Matthews replied with his 38th and 39th goals of the season for Toronto (35-16-4) to retake the NHL lead. John Tavares, with a goal and an assist, and Nick Robertson also scored for the Leafs, who got 23 stops from Jack Campbell.

Toronto winger Wayne Simmonds played the 1,000th regular-season game of his career.

The Leafs led 4-3 after two periods, but Vancouver responded 63 seconds into the third when Pearson squeezed his 12th through Campbell on a tip.

Vancouver then took the lead at 6:55 on a broken play where Mitch Marner lost his stick in the Toronto zone. Horvat threw a puck in front that the Leafs winger tried to kick away with his skate, but it dropped for Chiasson to snap his sixth past Campbell.

Toronto’s top ranked power play got a chance to equalize midway through the period when Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn was whistled for delay of game, but Demko was there to deny William Nylander on the Leafs’ best opportunity.

Demko then denied Matthews on the doorstep with three minutes left in regulation and Marner with Campbell on the bench for an extra attacker before Motte iced it into an empty net with 19.7 seconds left.

The Canucks went up 3-1 at 4:12 of the second period on a power play when Boeser scored his 16th off the rebound of Miller’s initial shot.

Toronto responded 1:21 later when Robertson – elevated to the