TORONTO — Jason Spezza recorded the eighth hat trick of his career — and first in nearly five years — as the Toronto Maple Leafs dismantled the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Thursday night.
Auston Matthews, with two, Mitch Marner, with a goal and a pair of assists, and John Tavares provided the rest of the offence for Toronto (8-2-1), which got 16 saves from Frederik Andersen.
William Nylander added three assists, while Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Travis Boyd chipped in with two each for the Leafs in the opener of a three-game set between the North Division rivals.