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The two hottest Leafs scored, Auston Matthews with his 36th as he battles David Boston’s Pastrnak among others for the league lead, while William Nylander made it five games in a row with a goal, one off Matthews’ team high of last season.

But it was a 200-foot tic-tac-toe tally that defined the evening for Toronto at American Airlines Center.

In the second period from behind his own net, defenceman Travis Dermott surveyed the landscape and spotted Matthews hanging around centre. Matthews knocked down the stretch pass with an eye to Mitch Marner coming through neutral ice, Marner delivering a blind backhand pass to an open Hyman.

“Just a beautiful hockey goal,” said Nylander of his prime view on the bench. “We were all just smiling watching that.

“We need to keep doing that on the road. We’re chasing in the standings, pushing for a playoff spot (still not there after their pre-break slump), so we have to be sharp every game.”

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Hyman said he was “screaming” for the puck, not sure if Marner would hear him.

“I had speed and saw their D was a little further back on me,” Marner said. “Mats got his chip to me and I saw Hymie busting in with gap on whoever was on his back. Great goal.”

Marner also set up Matthews’ game opener, but the Leafs still needed Tyson Barrie to keep them up by two midway through, a goal where Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen collected some badly needed points. Johnsson had been quiet since an assist Nov. 30, prior to breaking his foot. He added an empty netter, while Barrie now has a four-game points streak.