Tavares scores 400th goal, Maple Leafs beat Crosby and Penguins 5-2

By The Associated Press

John Tavares scored his 400th goal, Matt Murray made 34 saves in his return to Pittsburgh, and the Toronto Maple Leafs raced by the Penguins 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Tavares added an assist on the night he became the 107th player in NHL history to reach 400 goals. The 14-year veteran beat Casey DeSmith from the slot 12:04 into the first period, part of an early surge by the Maple Leafs that pushed them to their fifth win in seven games.

Murray, who won Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017, held his ground in the second period after Pittsburgh trimmed an early three-goal deficit to one, buying Toronto time to eventually pull away.

Michael Bunting had two goals and an assist for Toronto. Mitchell Marner extended his points streak to 10 games with his fourth goal of the season. William Nylander added an empty-net goal to seal it.

Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell scored for the Penguins, but Pittsburgh couldn’t sustain the momentum from a successful three-game trip in which they earned five of possible six points to end an early season skid.

Tavares is the fifth player to reach 400 goals while wearing a Maple Leafs sweater. Hall of Famer Mats Sundin hit 400 goals on Oct. 14, 2002, also against the Penguins.

The Maple Leafs will begin a three-game homestand Thursday night against New Jersey.

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