Mavrik Bourque delivered his first NHL hat trick and added an assist Monday night as the Dallas Stars erased two large deficits to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5. The victory came after Dallas trailed 3-0 early and again faced a 5-3 hole later in the game before rallying to win.
Jason Robertson chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Wyatt Johnston and Arttu Hyry also found the back of the net for Dallas. Casey DeSmith finished with 22 saves in net as the Stars secured the Central Division’s No. 2 seed ahead of the playoffs. Veteran forward Matt Duchene set up three goals during the comeback.
On the Toronto side, William Nylander recorded a goal and two assists and rookie Jacob Quillan scored his first NHL goal. John Tavares, Nick Robertson and Max Domi also scored for the Maple Leafs in what served as the team’s final game at home this season. Goaltender Artur Akhtyamov made 26 saves in his second NHL start, and Matthew Knies added two assists for Toronto.
The game also featured the NHL debut of forward Ryan Tverberg. The 24-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ontario — a seventh-round pick in 2020 — became the third Maple Leafs player to make a first appearance in as many games, joining Luke Haymes and William Villeneuve, who debuted earlier this week.
Dallas will have home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in the opening round of the playoffs. Up next on the schedule, the Stars visit the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, while the Maple Leafs travel to face the Ottawa Senators the same night.
