Matthews breaks out of opening drought with goal and 2 assists, Maple Leafs beat Kings 6-2

TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews broke out of a season-opening points drought, scoring his first goal and adding his first two assists as Toronto's captain in the Maple Leafs' 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Matthews made it 2-0 midway through the first period, quickly regaining control after fanning on a shot and beating David Rittich with a wrist shot.

The NHL goals leader last season with 69, Matthews also assisted on two power-play goals to to help the Maple Leafs win for the third straight time after an opening 1-0 loss at Montreal.

Bobby McMann scored twice in Toronto's three-goal first period, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander and John Tavares added goals and Anthony Stolarz stopped 32 shots. Mitch Marner had three assists.

Toronto broke an 0-for-11 run to start the season on the power play when Nylander beat Copley to make it 5-0 late in the second.

Alex Turcotte and Kevin Fiala scored in the third period for Los Angeles.

Kings: Los Angeles dropped to 1-1-2 on a season-opening, seven-game trip necessitated by arena renovations. The Kings are right back at it Thursday night in Montreal.

Maple Leafs: With a focus on defensive accountability under new coach Craig Berube, Toronto has allowed only seven goals in four games.

Toronto chased Rittich with the fast start, scoring four goals on its first 14 shots. Pheonix Copley allowed two goals on 12 shots in relief.

Matthews became the fourth player in Maple Leafs history to score 200 goals on home ice, joining Darryl Sittler (231), Dave Keon (225) and Mats Sundin (217).

Kings: At Montreal on Thursday night.

Maple Leafs: Host Edmonton on Saturday night.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) makes a save as Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar (11) battles with Maple Leafs' Timothy Liljegren (37) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander (88) is stopped by Los Angeles Kings goaltender David Rittich (31) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs' Steven Lorentz (18) falls between Los Angeles Kings' Kyle Burroughs (7) and Alex Turcotte (15) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Kings goaltender David Rittich (31) makes a save against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) tracks the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Kings' Adrian Kempe (9) tries to get by Toronto Maple Leafs' Jake McCabe (22) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings with Mitch Marner (16) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews, left, celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings with John Tavares (91) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says.

This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that borders Saudi Arabia.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the airstrikes.

Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.

Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.

He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous” and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover, according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.

Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”

“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,” he added.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.

The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.

In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.

Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves “everyone and the public interest.”

Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.

ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.

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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)