TORONTO – Mavrik Bourque recorded his first NHL hat trick and added an assist as the Dallas Stars came back from 3-0 and 5-3 deficits to top the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 on Monday.
Jason Robertson scored and set up another for playoff-bound Dallas (49-21-12), while Wyatt Johnston and Arthur Hyry also found the back of the net.
Casey DeSmith made 22 saves for the Stars, who are tied for No. 2 in the Central Division. Matt Duchene had three assists.
William Nylander, with a goal and two assists, John Tavares, Nick Robertson, Max Domi and Jacob Quillan, with his first in the NHL, answered for Toronto (32-35-14), which was suitable for the last home game of a disastrous season that began with talk of the Stanley Cup – and will end near the bottom of the overall standings.
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Artur Akhtyamov stopped 26 shots in his second start. Matthew Knies had two assists.
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Maple Leafs forward Ryan Tverberg made his NHL debut. The 24-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., was a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Tverberg was the third player in as many games to see his first NHL minutes for Toronto, joining forward Luke Haymes (Thursday) and defenseman William Villeneuve (Saturday).
TAKEAWAY
Maple Leafs: Legendary broadcaster Joe Bowen called the final home game of his 43-year career behind the microphone on both television and radio.
Stars: Coach Glen Gulutzan’s team will have home-court advantage against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas owned the league’s third-best record entering Monday, while Minnesota fell to seventh.
THE KEY MOMENT
Toronto built a 5-3 lead early in the third period before Johnston and Hyry, on a play where Maple Leafs defenseman Troy Stecher knocked the puck into his own net, scoring to tie the game 5-5. Bourque then completed his hat trick to pull three goals back on Dallas in six minutes and 34 seconds.
KEY STATUS
Tavares opened the scoring with his 564th career point for Toronto to pass Bob Pulford for sole possession of 11th on the franchise’s all-time list.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
Stars: Visit the Buffalo Sabers on Wednesday.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 13, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
