John Tavares scores with 5 seconds left in OT to lift Maple Leafs to 5-4 comeback win over Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — John Tavares redirected a shot from Morgan Rielly into the net with five seconds left in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Anaheim Ducks in a fight-marred game Monday night.

The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly’s snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.

But Leo Carlsson, who hobbled to the locker room after taking a hard hit and falling to the ice in the first minute of the third, gathered a loose puck near the left circle and flicked a shot past Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz to make it 4-4 with 1:39 left.

Tavares added a first-period goal, and Stolarz stopped 28 of 32 shots for Toronto, which took the ice about 1 ½ hours after general manager Brad Treliving was fired near the end of his third season, with the Maple Leafs on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier scored in the first 10 minutes, and John Carlson scored his first goal for the Ducks. Gauthier, who leads the Pacific Division-leading Ducks with 38 goals and 65 points, suffered an upper-body injury on a cross-check late in the first and did not return. Husso had 22 saves.

Ducks captain Radko Gudas, slowed by a lower-body injury, insisted on playing in the rematch of a March 12 game in which his knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews led to a season-ending injury for the Toronto captain and a five-game suspension for Gudas.

It took three seconds for the Leafs to exact some revenge, Toronto forward Max Domi and Gudas dropping the gloves and exchanging punches as soon as the puck dropped.

That set the tone for a hard-hitting game that featured a combined 85 penalty minutes, numerous scuffles and game misconducts incurred by Toronto’s Michael Pezzetta and Domi in the second.

Ducks: At San Jose on Wednesday.

Maple Leafs: At San Jose on Thursday .

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

Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Michael Pezzetta (61) receives a game misconduct and is ejected during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Toronto Maple Leafs center Max Domi (11) is escorted out of an NHL hockey game during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs players clash during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) is greeted by teammates after scoring the game-winning goal during overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Adin Hill made 22 stops and the Vegas Golden Knights opened the John Tortorella era with a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.

One day after the Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy, who led the team to a Stanley Cup title in 2023, they treated Tortorella to a come-from-behind victory.

Rasmus Andersson, Shea Theodore, Reilly Smith and Cole Smith each scored for Vegas.

Evander Kane and Brock Boeser scored for the Canucks, while Kevin Lankinen made 29 saves.

Tortorella, who coached Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup title in 2024, met with the players earlier in the day, as general manager Kelly McCrimmon is hoping the 67-year-old veteran coach can reignite a locker room just three years removed from a championship season.

The team found its spark in the second period, when Andersson tied the game midway through to overcome its first one-goal deficit, and then again when Theodore made it 2-2 five minutes after Boeser’s goal.

Reilly Smith scored the game-winner near the end of the third, while Cole Smith’s empty-netter provided the final margin.

The Golden Knights brought a three-game skid into Monday and opened their final eight-game stretch with a much-needed win. Vegas, which had lost six of its past seven games, is in third place in the Pacific Division just one point behind the Edmonton Oilers.

The Golden Knights remain in playoff position despite the recent play that saw them enter having lost 12 of their past 17 since the Olympic break.

Tortorella has been signed for the remainder of this season and the playoffs.

Canucks: Visits Colorado on Wednesday.

Golden Knights: Host Calgary on Thursday.

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

Vancouver Canucks left wing Evander Kane (91) scores against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

Vancouver Canucks left wing Evander Kane (91) chases after the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson, right, celebrates after his goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella, center top, looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)