Mitchell Marner will try to extend his team-record 19-game point streak and help the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs regain their winning form Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.
Marner set the club record Saturday night with two goals — the first while Toronto was short-handed — in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opener of a two-game road trip.
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Toronto had won its previous five games.
“It’s special growing up to watch this team play hockey and now to have my name in something — pretty amazing, it’s hard to describe,” Marner said. “Like I’ve been saying, it’s not a one-man effort out there. It’s five men. Great effort by Dave (Kampf) on the first one. A lot of love to my guys for helping me achieve this accomplishment.”
Darryl Sittler (1977-78 season) and Eddie Olczyk (1989-90) each had 18-game point streaks for Toronto.
Marner has nine goals and 17 assists during his streak.
“To secure the record, it’s great to see,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Very well-deserved. He was excellent again (Saturday).”
Keefe wasn’t the only one impressed by Marner’s feat.
“We’re extremely happy for him,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. “It would be great to enjoy it in a win, but it deserves the recognition with the history of the Maple Leafs and what that means. For him to put himself alone in that category is pretty special. He has been such a catalyst for us.”
The Stars also are coming off a defeat. They overcame a four-goal, third-period deficit before losing 6-5 Sunday in a shootout to the visiting Minnesota Wild.
“I think you’ve seen this with this group all year, we’re never out of a game,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think there’s a confidence in our room that no matter the score, the situation, that we can fight our way back in. Proud of our resiliency.”
Dallas erased a three-goal disadvantage to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in regulation on Nov. 23. Two nights later, Jason Robertson scored twice with the goaltender removed for an extra attacker to force overtime against the Winnipeg Jets before losing 5-4.
“It’s a good feeling to have a lot of belief in here,” Stars defenseman Ryan Suter said. “Everyone believes in each other and knows that that next line can go get us something, either some momentum or a goal.”
The Stars are 1-0-1 after two games of a five-game homestand.
“It’s 5-1 with 12 minutes left,” DeBoer said. “We could be walking out of here with nothing. That’s a really critical point, and you can’t underestimate the fight in the group.”
Dallas is 0-5 in games that have gone to overtime, including a 0-2 record in shootouts.
“I’ve been in situations like this before, and it becomes a little bit of a mental block. You just need to win one to get it going the other way,” DeBoer said. “This is the same group that couldn’t lose in overtime or shootout last year down the stretch. We need one to go our way and we won’t be talking about it again.”
The Maple Leafs also have had trouble winning in overtime, going 1-6 — losing their last six.
Their only overtime win was a 3-2 decision against Dallas on Oct. 20.
Toronto has recalled forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
–Field Level Media
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