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*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page. ******* It appeared late in the third period of the second game of their three-game California road swing that the Toronto Maple Leafs were resorting to their usual mode of operations. They played arguably their best two-way game against the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-0 shutout victory on Tuesday, but in the second of back-to-back games were being blanked by goalie Lukas Dostal and the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks led 1-0 on a Frank Vatrano short-handed goal, but the Leafs rallied to tie the game on a John Tavares power-play goal with less than six minutes in regulation and won a 2-1 decision in overtime on Auston Matthews league-leading 30th goal of the season.
his name is Auston Matthews pic.twitter.com/aJmJrHERAk
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 4, 2024
Martin Jones started both ends of the SoCal double-header instead of youngster Dennis Hildeby and made 27 saves for his sixth win of the season.
“I thought we played a good game and deserved more offense than we got. I liked that we stayed with it. We didn’t make too many mistakes, push it, or open it up to the point where we gave them a chance to build their lead.… Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “We get rewarded in the end with the two points that you come for.…
Dostal was incredible on the night, as the youngster made 55 saves in a losing effort. Holding off a consistent Toronto attack for most of the game, making a plethora of fantastic stops.
“If we get that number of shots and that number of quality, clean looks at the goaltender, normally, with our calibre of shooters, those find ways to go in. But you need to find ways to win these games and certainly get points.… Keefe said. “In overtime, it is a bit of a coin toss from there, but you have to get points in these games and find a way.…
JOHN TAVARES 🚨
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 4, 2024
THE CAPTAIN BEATS HIM! pic.twitter.com/HeSjl0a1t0
The two points were important to Toronto, who with 45 points are three points up on New Jersey and Washington for the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs finish off their California trek on Saturday in San Jose against the Sharks.
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