While earlier this season he went through goal droughts of 17 and 15 games, Mitch Marner entered play Saturday night with eight goals in his past 22, and five in his nine.
The goal-scoring touch was on full display in the opening minutes against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre, and Marner was hardly done.
Marner scored two goals in the first period over a span of 9:35, his second goal chasing Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson from the game to give Toronto a 3-0 lead. He followed that up with three assists to establish a new single-game high with five points, and the Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 6-3.
It was a fast start for the Maple Leafs and Marner, who gave Toronto a 1-0 lead 115 seconds after the opening faceoff. After Johnny Oduya coughed up the puck in the Senators defensive zone, Marner pounced on it, and snapped a wrist shot past Anderson.
Less than 10 minutes later, Marner got his second goal of the period, his first multi-goal game of the season, when Patrick Marleau fired a cross-ice pass onto the tape of an oncoming Marner, who fired home his 10th of the season.
The goal was Marner's 100th career point (31 goals and 69 assists) the third member of the young Maple Leafs trio along with Auston Matthews and William Nylander to hit that milestone.
Nylander had an assist Saturday, career point number 116, coming on an Auston Matthews goal between Marner's two. In eight career games against Ottawa, Matthews now has seven goals (though four of them came in his NHL debut).
Matthews' goal, the 66th of his career, was also historic: He passed Eddie Olczyk as the third-highest scoring American born skater prior to is 21st birthday.
While Marner nearly recorded a hat trick later, he had to settle for what was his first of three assist. Holding the puck in the circle on the power play, Marner snapped it toward the net. It was unclear if the puck deflected off James van Riemsdyk or Senators defenseman Cody Ceci, but the goal was awarded to the former.
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