The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame a slow start and the loss of two key players early in the game in a wild 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Thursday night. Newcomer Richard Panik scored with 1:16 left in regulation with goalie Jonathan Bernier pulled to force overtime. Panik’s second goal of the season earned the Leafs a single point, but Colorado beat Bernier on all three opportunities in the shootout for the victory. Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak also scored for Toronto and Bernier made 31 saves on the night. Nick Holden, Alex Tanguay and Matt Duchene tallied for the Avs.
Colorado implemented the same tactics that the Coyotes used on Tuesday, applying heavy pressure on the Toronto defense early in the game to force turnovers and it worked to perfection, as Holden scored the opening goal 31 seconds into the contest. The Leafs were outshot 19-12 in the opening 20 minutes, but began to take the play to Colorado late in the period, with Kessel batting the puck out of midair for his club-leading seventh goal of the season.
Bozak, an alumnus of the University of Denver, gave Toronto their only lead of the night with a power play goal early in the middle frame, but the Avs tied the game just 60 seconds later, as the veteran Tanguay took a long stretch pass that got past Roman Polak and Stuart Percy and scored on a breakaway.
Colorado took the lead with just under nine minutes left in the third, as Nazem Kadri’s errant pass to Percy resulted in a turnover and Duchene’s fourth goal of the year on a wraparound, but the Leafs tied the game as Kessel missed on an offensive chance as the extra attacker, but tipped the puck to Mike Santorelli, who centered it to Panik for a quick wrister that beat Avs goalie Reto Berra for the tying goal.
******* The Leafs played most of the game shorthanded as forward Daniel Winnik and defenseman Jake Gardiner both exited the game with injuries. Winnik was taken from the ice on a stretcher early in the first period after landing awkwardly following a hit by Colorado defenseman Jan Hejda.
Winnik was airborne when Hejda stood him up at the Colorado blueline and laid motionless on the Pepsi Center ice after landing on his shoulder and neck, but was alert and moving after being examined by team physicians and did not have to go to a Denver area hospital for an examination following the game.
A better look at the play that injured Winnik here from @myregularface http://t.co/FvF8ui9y6Q
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) November 7, 2014“(Winnik) did twist his neck, but the brunt of the weight of his body seemed to roll on his shoulder more and his back, so he was lucky.… Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said following the game. “He looks fine, he’s 100% fine, said there is nothing wrong with him.…
Gardiner struggled to get off the ice after blocking a Jarome Iginla shot during an Avalanche power play and did not return. Carlyle said that the speedy defenseman has a deep bone bruise on his foot where little protection was present on his skate, but that x-rays did not reveal any broken bones.
The Leafs head coach also indicated that Kessel missed a few shifts with an undisclosed injury, but returned to the game. Kessel declined to answer questions about the injury with the media following the game.
*******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.*******
For Those on Twitter: Follow @mikeinbuffalo
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.