TORONTO -- On the night John Tavares was honored for scoring his 500th NHL goal, his 501st broke a tie at 8:06 of the third period to help the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Utah Mammoth 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

Tavares, who also had an assist, gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead when he backhanded a shot over Vitek Vanecek’s right shoulder after Bobby McMann’s centering pass from behind the goal line bounced into the slot.

Tavares, who scored No. 500 in a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 29, was recognized during an on-ice ceremony before the game with his parents, wife and three children for becoming the 49th player to reach the milestone.

Mattias Maccelli, William Nylander and Matthew Knies also each had a goal and an assist, and Anthony Stolarz made 21 saves

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