Tavares hattrick, Pacioretty productive, and more: 3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs won 6-4 against Winnipeg Jets

The Toronto Maple Leafs snapped a three-game skid with a 6-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night at the Canada Life Center.

John Tavares led the way with a hattrick. William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies also scored for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Kyle Connor had two goals in the losing effort, while Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi had the other tallies for the Jets.

So, let’s take a look at the three reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs ended the Winnipeg Jets’ eight-game winning streak on Monday night.

---

Three reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Winnipeg Jets

#3 The Leafs held on down the stretch

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the third period up 5-2, but the Jets pressured from the opening faceoff in the third, leading to Scheifele’s goal at 7:36. The Jets didn’t take their feet of the gas, cutting their lead to 5-4 at 16:13.

From there, the Leafs avoided blowing their three-goal lead, adding an empty-netter to seal the win with less than a minute to go to beat the league’s best team at the moment.

#2 Max Pacioretty led the second line

Max Pacioretty played on the second line with William Nylander and John Tavares, chipping in with three assists. For Pacioretty, the performance is highly encouraging, as he joined the Leafs on a PTO this offseason.

Pacioretty, who had been projected as a fourth-liner for the Toronto Maple Leafs, has cracked the top six and hasn't disappointed. While he played 15 minutes on the night, he was effective every time he hit the ice.

Overall, Pacioretty’s assist count helps, as the Leafs desperately needed depth scoring to step up in place of the top line that went relatively quiet.

#1 Tavares nets a hattrick

John Tavares had a breakout game, scoring in each period. His empty-netter sealed the win to give him his 12th career hattrick on Monday night.

Tavares now has nine points in as many games this season. His resurgent production bodes well as questions surrounded his effectiveness after a down season last year. Tavares led the way for the Maple Leafs on Monday night, leading the way as their second line did all the damage against the Jets.

The Leafs will have a couple of days to savor the big win before taking on the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at the Scotiabank Arena.