TORONTO — For the second month in a row, Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas is at the center of another injury controversy.

William Nylander broke a tie on a power play 36 seconds into the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ducks, 6-4, on Thursday night to end an eight-game losing streak, but their victory was tempered by the loss of captain Auston Matthews following a knee-on-knee hit from Gudas with four minutes left in the second period.

Trying to make a move around Gudas in the slot, Matthew took a direct blow to his left leg and crashed to the ice. The U.S. Olympic captain stayed down before being helped to the locker room.

Gudas, the bruising Czech defender whose hit ended Canadian captain Sidney Crosby’s Olympics in the quarterfinals last month, was assessed a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.

Matthews, a two-time All-Star, snapped a 12-game goal drought earlier in the period on a power play. The center has 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games this season.

Matias Maccell had a goal and two assists, and John Tavares and Benoit-Olivier Groulx also scored for Toronto. Matthew Knies had three assists to go along with an empty-net goal, and Nylander added two assists. Joseph Woll made 36 saves in the Maple Leafs’ first home win since Jan. 10, ending an 0-6-2 home skid.

Cutter Gauthier, Ian Moore, Pavel Mintyukov and Alex Killorn scored for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who have lost two of their past three games. Jeffrey Viel notched two assists, and Lukas Dostal stopped 22 shots.

Michael Pezzetta, promoted by the Maple Leafs on Thursday from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, fought with Viel at the opening faceoff.

Maccelli opened the scoring at 7:19 of the first period. He stole the puck from Jackson LaCombe at the Toronto blue line and steamed down the right wing before shooting from the circle.

Seconds after a Toronto penalty expired, Gauthier scored at 12:19 on a carom off the end boards.

The Ducks took a 2-1 lead at 14:26 of the first on Moore’s shot from the inner edge of the right circle off Jansen Harkins’ pass from behind the goal line.

Mintyukov scored from the left circle at 2:55 of the second period on a pass from Ryan Poehling for a 3-1 edge.

Matthews scored with a one-timer from the right circle during a power play at 10:47 of the second. Jacob Trouba was off for tripping.

Tavares scored on the power play following Matthews’ injury, burying a 47-footer at 16:26 of the second to knot the game at 3-3.

Nylander produced the second goal during Gudas’ major 34 seconds into the third period to give Toronto the lead.

Groulx scored a short-handed goal at 8:35 of the third, his second career NHL goal and his first since Nov. 7, 2021.

Knies scored into an empty net at 18:12 and Killorn scored for the Ducks at 19:34 of a chippy third period that featured assorted skirmishes.

More to come on this story.

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The Ducks play at Ottawa on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT.