The Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t hold onto their early lead, falling 7-4 to the Colorado Avalanche in a Saturday night thriller. Valeri Nichushkin stole the show with his first career regular-season hat trick, capping off a dominant third-period surge for Colorado.
Toronto started strong, with Mitch Marner and John Tavares each netting two goals, while Auston Matthews added three assists. But, the Avalanche stormed back late with four goals in the third period and sealed the deal.
The Leafs will look to bounce back in their next outing as they fight to stay in the playoff race.
