Chicago Blackhawks lose their 3rd straight game on Canadian trip, falling 5-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO — William Nylander had a goal and two assists, Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 shots and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Rasmus Sandin each added a goal and an assist, and Conor Timmins also scored for the Maple Leafs, who won for the fifth time in eight games.

Sam Lafferty and Philipp Kurashev each had a goal and an assist for the Hawks. Petr Mrázek finished with 37 saves. The Hawks have lost three straight and are 2-5-1 in their last eight.

Leapfrogged by the Tampa Bay Lightning for second in the Atlantic Division since last playing Saturday night in a 4-3 loss to the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets, the Maple Leafs opened the scoring 9 seconds into the game when Nylander moved in on a breakaway and slid home his 30th goal of the season.

The Hawks tied it on the game’s second shot 53 seconds later when Lafferty jumped on a turnover by Calle Jarnkrok and scored his ninth goal.

Sandin regained the lead for Toronto with his fourth goal on a shot that hit a Hawks stick and fooled Mrázek at 8:14.

Alexander Kerfoot appeared to give Toronto a two-goal lead just 15 seconds later only to have it overturned when the Hawks challenged for offside.

However, Matthews pushed the lead to 3-1 when he scored his 26th goal off a pass from Nylander with 8:39 left in the first. Last season’s Hart Trophy winner and the first player in a decade to score 60 goals was back after spraining a knee Jan. 25. Matthews missed five games over a three-week stretch thanks to the All-Star break and the Maple Leafs’ bye week.

The Hawks got back within one 46 seconds into the second period when Kurashev fired his eighth goal.

Tavares made it 4-2 as he took advantage of Mrázek’s miscue to score his 24th goal at 7:37 of the second.

Timmins, playing for the first time since Jan. 27, scored his second goal on a one-timer for a 5-2 lead with 3:53 left in the second.

With both of their contracts set to expire July 1, Hawks stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews could be moving on before the trade deadline — if they waive their no-movement clauses.

Tavares was asked before the game if it’s difficult to envision Kane and Toews in different uniforms.

“I don’t think you really ever thought it was going to possibly come to that point,” he said. “But when you’re seeing it from the outside — just the way they’ve been talking about it, handling it in their situation now — that’s becoming more and more likely.”

Matthews grew up idolizing Kane — a fellow U.S.-born star — and said it would be strange seeing one of his childhood heroes in another jersey.

“It would be a little weird,” he said. “But it’s been weird not seeing him in the playoffs, too.”

Blackhawks: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Friday night to finish a four-game trip.

Maple Leafs: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night to finish a three-game homestand.