Mitch Marner recorded a shorthanded goal in the second period as part of a two-goal night in a 4-3 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
TAMPA — Mitch Marner stands alone.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward set a new franchise record by extending his points streak to 19 games with a shorthanded goal as part of a two-goal night in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Saturday.
The Thornhill, Ontario, native eclipsed the previous record that was shared by himself, Ed Olczyk and Darryl Sittler. Marner matched the franchise record with an empty-net goal in a 3-1 victory against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
"It's cool," Marner said following his team's 4-3 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. “I grew up in this city. I love being a part of this team nowadays. It’s special to me. It’s special growing up to watch this team play hockey and now to have my name in something [it's] pretty amazing.”
Marner initiated the opportunity when he intercepted a pass from Tampa's Mikhail Sergachev. After missing on his attempt in front of a sprawled-out Andrei Vasilevskiy, Marner received a pass in the slot from David Kampf and beat the Tampa goaltender for the milestone point.
"You could see him computing it in his mind before it happened," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of the goal. "He sensed that their guy was maybe in a little bit of trouble and got a little bit of luck, a little bit of help from the referee there, but he felt like he could put a little bit of pressure there and create a turnover and that's exactly what happened."
Marner was a force for the Maple Leafs in all aspects for the Leafs on Saturday. Down 3-2, he scored his second goal of the game in the third period to push the game to overtime.
The 25-year-old Marner has been lauded for his two-way play during his remarkable run. He was unable to help the team's penalty-kill unit early in the third period while serving a tripping penalty and it didn't go unnoticed by Keefe.
"It's no coincidence that he's in the box when they score to get their first power-play goal," Keefe said.
Marner also extended his goal-scoring streak to five games. He has recorded at least one point in 24 of Toronto's 26 games this season.
Before the game, Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin had predicted that Marner would set the record.
"I don't see an ending for it with how good he's playing right now," Sandin said.
Marner's streak has helped the Leafs at a time when their offense has come at a slower pace. Toronto has just 3.04 goals per game this season compared to 3.8 in 2021-22. As the team that is putting more of an emphasis on better defensive play, Marner helped them pick up some of the slack with a consistent production.
"We're extremely happy for him, well deserved" Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said of Marner. "It'd be great to enjoy it in a win, but I think [he] definitely deserves the recognition."