The Maple Leafs have sent forward Josh Leivo back to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. The 22-year-old Leivo has five goals in 12 games for the Leafs.
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The young and exuberant Toronto Maple Leafs rebounded from blowing a three-goal second period lead to win a 6-5 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Air Canada Center on Thursday night.
Nazem Kadri had four points (two goals and two assists), including the game winning goal at 41 seconds into the extra frame. Tyler Bozak also scored a pair, Frank Corrado and Connor Brown added singles for the Leafs, who have won six of the last eight games that temporally moved them into a tie with the Edmonton Oilers for last place in the NHL standings.
“The puck went in the net for both teams, obviously, a lot." Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the game. "I thought we had the game well in hand and (Anaheim) shot it in the net a couple times and I thought they took over at the start of the third period. They did a good job there and had their way with us for a little bit. It was nice to see us respond as well.…
Bozak, who returned to the lineup after missing 21 games with a concussion, scored 65 seconds after the Ducks opened the scoring on Jamie McGinn's 20th goal on an early power play.
Kadri put the Leafs in the lead minutes later with his first goal since February 29th and assisted on Bozak's second period power play marker and Corrado extended the lead to 4-1 with his first goal of the year.
🚨Bozak x2🚨 #TMLtalk https://t.co/31jSYiMMXD
— Leafs Fans United (@LeafsFansUnited) March 25, 2016
Anaheim climbed back into the game, as McGinn notched his second goal of the game on the man advantage and Andrew Cogliano scoring just nine seconds later to narrow the lead to 4-3 before the end of the middle frame.
The Leafs showed some of their youth and inexperience in the third, as the Ducks tied the game shorthanded on Ryan Garbutt's goal and took the lead on Brandon Pirri's 12th of the season, but Toronto responded, as Kadri set up Brown for his first NHL goal.
After taking a minor penalty for boarding late in regulation that nearly cost Toronto the game, Kadri redeemed himself by converting a loose puck past Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen for the win.
Toronto's recent success has moved them from a top five pick in the NHL Draft in Buffalo three months from now to the uncertainty of a lower selection.
The Oilers countered the Leafs win with a 6-3 victory over James Reimer and the San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg beat the Pacific Division leading LA Kings maintain Toronto's status in 30th place, but regulation losses by Columbus and Calgary and a shootout loss by Vancouver has the bottom six in the league within three points of the bottom dwelling Blue and White.
The Boston Bruins, losers of five games in a row visit the ACC on Saturday in the last game of the Leafs season-long six game home stand. *******
2015 Leafs second rounder Jeremy Bracco registered three assists for the Kitchener Rangers in a 6-5 comeback victory over Windsor on Thursday.
The 18-year-old forward has 21 goals and 43 assists in 49 games for the Rangers after leaving Boston College in October and trails only Coyotes draft pick Ryan MacInnis and 2016 draft eligible forward Adam Mascherin in scoring.
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