John Tavares scored his 501st career goal in the third period as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Utah Mammoth 5-3 on Wednesday.

Tavares snapped a 2-2 tie midway through the third when he backhanded his seventh goal of the campaign upstairs on Vanecek.

Matias Maccelli, with a goal and an assist against his former team, William Nylander and Auston Matthews provided the rest of the offence for Toronto (8-5-1) before Matthew Knies added an empty-netter.

Matthews scored his 225th career home goal to tie Dave Keon for second most in Leafs history. Darryl Sittler holds the record with 231.

Anthony Stolarz made 21 saves. Jake McCabe had two assists. Tavares and Nylander each added assists of their own for two-point nights in the Leafs’ third straight win.

Michael Carcone, Mikhail Sergachev

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