Written by Marcus Sledge

TORONTO — William Nylander scored twice in the second period, and Joseph Woll made 24 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Thursday night.

Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews also scored for Toronto. The former Hart Trophy winner, Matthews sealed the win with a bank-shot empty-net goal. The victory improved Toronto’s record to 6-4-1.

Toronto scored late in the first period when Matthew Knies scores off an attacking zone faceoff for the Leafs, to put the Leafs up late in the first.

The second period was the William Nylander show. Earlier in the week, Nylander said he wanted more ice time. The Swiss star made a statement scoring twice. The Leafs led 3-0 after two periods of play.

Seattle’s Eeli Tolvanen scored with 3:28 left in regulation, ending Woll’s shutout attempt. Auston Matthews scored an empty netter to sew up the win for the Leafs. In the end, Joey Daccord made 25 saves for Seattle, who fell to 5-5-1.

Game Takeaways

• Kraken: Already without defenseman Vince Dunn (upper-body injury), Seattle also missed Brandon Montour, who returned to Seattle for the birth of his second child.

• Maple Leafs: Knies scored in his third consecutive game, bringing his season goal count to six.

What’s Next

• The Kraken continue their road trip with a back to back beginning on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators before facing the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Puck drop on Saturday is scheduled for 4pm PST.

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