Matthews hat trick carries Maple Leafs over Kraken

TORONTO — Auston Matthews registered his third hat trick of the season to give him an NHL-leading 43 goals, Mitch Marner scored the winner and the Toronto Maple Leafs came back to defeat the Seattle Kraken 6-4 on Tuesday night.

William Nylander and John Tavares added a goal and an assist each for Toronto (37-16-4), which got 26 saves from Jack Campbell. T.J. Brodie and Michael Bunting both chipped in with two assists. Marner, who added an assist of his own, has a point that now stands at eight games.

Colin Blackwell, with a goal and an assist, Carson Soucy, Alex Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz replied for Seattle (17-37-5). Philipp Grubauer stopped 25 shots for the expansion Kraken, who fell to 1-9-1 over their last 11.

Seattle scored twice in the second period to tie the game 3-3 before Schwartz tipped his seventh of the season past Campbell at 5:57 of the third as Toronto allowed four goals or more for the eighth time in 10 games.

The Leafs responded at 9:03 when Matthews took a pass from Bunting, who was robbed by Grubauer moments earlier, to score his second of the night and 42nd of the campaign.

Toronto then went on the power play where Marner delayed at the top of the slot after the ensuing Tavares faceoff win and ripped his 22nd five-hole on Grubauer just 40 seconds later to send Scotiabank Arena into a frenzy.

Matthews then finished things off with the sixth hat trick of his career with 41.8 seconds left in regulation with Grubauer on the bench for an extra attacker.

Coming off Monday’s 5-4 road victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and playing their third of four games in six nights, the Leafs opened the scoring at 3:18 of the first when Matthews fired his 41st past Grubauer as Toronto’s top-ranked power play