Golden Knights come back to beat Maple Leafs in OT, ending Toronto’s winning streak

The Maple Leafs want to be considered among the top teams in the National Hockey League.

The Vegas Golden Knights reminded them on Tuesday night they’re not there yet.

Reilly Smith, who tied the game with a shorthanded goal in the third period, scored the winner at 23 seconds of overtime at Scotiabank Arena, giving Vegas a 4-3 victory to end the Leafs’ three-game winning streak.

After bumbling through California and losing four in a row, the Leafs beat Philadelphia, Boston and Carolina before getting a point against Vegas. Each of the past three opponents was at or near the top of the NHL standings when it met the Leafs.

Vegas has lost just twice in its first 14 games and has won eight in a row.

“A tough stretch with three games in four nights against three elite teams,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Five out of six points feels good. We came a long way in this little stretch, but tonight is a sign we still have a ways to go in terms of managing the game because that should be six points.”

That the Leafs had a 3-2 lead in the third period when Smith scored with under eight minutes to go as teammate Mike Amadio watched from the penalty box stuck in the craw of Keefe. The Leafs’ first power-play unit was on the ice well into the Vegas minor, and Smith beat goalie Erik Kallgren on a 2-on-1 to tie the game. A chance to change to get the second unit on the ice went by the wayside.

“Sometimes you have to unfortunately go through something like that to have that reminder that ends up lasting you a season,” Keefe said. “I’m confident that won’t happen again.”

Said Mitch Marner: “A little disappointed to give up the third one on a power play. We have to get off the ice a little quicker. We have to look at the score and see the time. We have to do a better job of (getting) fresher guys on the ice.”

Smith, on a breakaway, deked to his backhand and beat Kallgren high for the winner.

Before a crowd of 18,459, Leafs defenceman Timothy Liljegren scored his first two goals of the season.

“We gave up too many chances,” Liljegren said. “Our structure just wasn’t good enough. They had good flow in their game.

“I don’t see myself as a goal-scorer, so happy with two goals, but could have played overall a better game.”

The Leafs will have two days of practice before a back-to-back home set against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks on Hall of Fame weekend.

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Kallgren owned the initial stages of the second period, doing what every goalie is paid to do — give his teammates a chance to win. In this case, Kallgren gave his teammates a shot to take the lead, and they did that after entering the second down 2-1.

Kallgren had to be sharp to make a trio of difficult saves, all of them involving Golden Knights who managed to find ice to get great looks following Leafs turnovers.

Kallgren denied Keegan Kolesar and William Carrier, and then stopped Smith after a Marner chance for the Leafs.

“It’s not even a defensive thing,” Keefe said. “You can’t defend when you give the other team the puck in bad spots and they can counter with a ton of speed and you don’t get a chance to defend. They do it as good as anybody in the NHL.”

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Before Marner scored a highlight-reel goal, goalie Logan Thompson made tough saves on William Nylander and Auston Matthews.

Marner had observers gasping when he tied the game at 13:50. After picking the puck out along the boards, Marner moved to the middle of the ice and dangled past a couple of Vegas defenders. Marner then caught Thompson off-guard, shooting across his own body and over the goalie’s catching glove into the top corner.

Then Liljegren scored his second three minutes later, capping a shift during which the Leafs controlled the puck so well they appeared to be a on a power play. After some terrific cycling, Marner had the puck in the slot and passed off to Liljegren, who quickly got off a shot and fooled Thompson to the netminder’s stick side.

The Golden Knights scored at the 45-second mark of the first period when Nicolas Roy poked the puck over the goal line.

Liljegren tied the game less than five minutes later on a play on a fine pass from David Kampf, but Jack Eichel scored following a Liljegren turnover late in the first.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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