The Toronto Maple Leafs showed more energy and effort in a 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Air Canada Center on Thursday night that ended their three game losing streak and stemmed the tide of criticism that washed over the club after one-sided losses to Buffalo and Nashville.
"We were a lot more engaged in the game, we played a lot more to the structure that's required and we seemed to be a lot more relaxed." Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said following the game.
James van Riemsdyk scored a pair, David Clarkson, Richard Panik and Roman Polak added goals and Jonathan Bernier made 26 saves for the Leafs, who improve to 10-8-2 on the season.
In a reversal of their usual modus operandi, Toronto jumped on a weary Tampa Bay squad(playing their third game in four nights), as Clarkson’s blast from slot beat Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop just 1:29 into the first period. Toronto had the better chances in the first and could not extend their lead on a five-on-three power play, but instead allowed the Lightning to even the score as Jake Gardiner’s weak shoot in attempt was intercepted and converted by Alex Killorn.
Toronto did not reflect a fragile psyche or loss of confidence after Killorn's short-handed tally and took a commanding 4-1 lead in the second. Tampa defenseman Matt Carle’s ill advised pass in front of the net was intercepted by former teammate Panik and backhanded into a gaping net at 2:25 to reestablish the Toronto lead. The goal was Panik’s fourth of the season after being claimed off of waivers by the Leafs in early October.
Van Riemsdyk extended the lead midway through the middle frame with a blast over Bishop’s glove hand and added his second of the game just under three minutes later on the power play, niftily flipping the puck over the Tampa goaltender and under the crossbar.
Steven Stamkos scored his 13th goal of the season late in the third, as Lightning coach Jon Cooper pulled his goaltender with more than five minutes remaining in regulation, but Tampa was not able to draw any closer and allowed Polak’s empty net goal in the waning seconds of the third.
One of the key components of the game was Toronto's success on draws, as Tyler Bozak won 22 of 30 faceoffs going head-to-head with Stamkos most of the night, as well as Nazem Kadri winning nine of 12 draws.
"Bozie was dynamite in the faceoff circle." Carlyle said. "When you can match up against players like Stamkos, if they don't start with the puck, it's an advantage to you."
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Happenings At MasterCard Center
The Leafs took to the ice at their practice facility in Etobicoke, ON in preparation for Saturday night's contest with the Detroit Red Wings at Air Canada Center. The match up will be the third between the Atlantic Division rivals, as the Red Wings swept both ends of a home-and-home on October 17-18.
Phil Kessel left practice after 20 minutes for an undisclosed reason, which could be related to a nagging injury that has been kept under the radar most of the season. Joffrey Lupul took Kessel's place on the top line alongside Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, adding fuel to the fire that the injured winger could be ready to return on Saturday.
David Booth has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 29-year-old winger has been out since September 28th with a broken foot and will likely play in the last game of the Marlies eight-game road trip in Hamilton on Friday and possibly against the Bulldogs at Ricoh Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
Petri Kontiola has cleared waivers for the purpose of terminating his NHL contract and return to the KHL, where he played five seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Chelyabinsk Traktor. Unconfirmed reports out of Finland indicate that the 30-year-old center will sign with the KHL's Helsinki-based Jokerit franchise.
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In a move that broke with the normal tradition of acknowledging the fans at Air Canada Center following victories, the Leafs headed directly to the dressing room following the victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday night.
An undisclosed Leafs player told Sportsnet's
Chris Johnston that the club was looking to change things up and the lack of salute was not intended as a snub to Leafs fans, but this particular change of routine is peculiar in the wake the fan's heightened responses to the team's inconsistent play this season.
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