The Toronto Maple Leafs are alive to fight another day, as Nazem Kadri scored a power-play goal at 2:51 of overtime to give the Leafs a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Center on Thursday.
Toronto took a 3-1 lead into the third period on goals by Paul Ranger, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, but were unable to hold off the hard charging Bruins, who outshot the Leafs 17-5 in the final twenty minutes and tied the game on goals from Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron.
Kadri was used sparingly in the game(only 11:40 in ice time in the game) but came through with Bruins rookie Torey Krug in the penalty box for holding, as he corralled the rebound of a Cody Franson point shot and fired it past Chad Johnson for the winner.
Winger Joffrey Lupul was a late scratch with a lower body injury and skated without equipment at the Leafs practice facility in Etobicoke, ON on Friday. Head coach Randy Carlyle indicated in his post-game remarks that Lupul’s status is doubtful to play against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
The Leafs have bounced back from their season-long eight game losing streak with two wins in a row, but will must continue their winning ways. The Blue Jackets remain one point ahead of Toronto after shutting out the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 at the Wells Fargo Center and will use one of their two games in hand in Columbus as they host the depleted Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Chicago will be without star forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but Columbus will also be shorthanded in their second of back-to-back games with forward Nick Foligno out the rest of the regular season and Nathan Horton day-to-day with lower body injuries.
Other key games on Friday’s scoreboard are the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Buffalo Sabres at Joe Louis Arena and the Washington Capitals facing the New Jersey Devils in Newark. The Wings are two points ahead of Toronto, Washington trail by three points and New Jersey trail by four points in the race for a wild card spot, all have two games in hand.
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Sportsnet's Chris Johnston is reporting that the result of the MRI on Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier revealed a strain of the medial collateral ligament of his left knee that will keep him out the remainder of the regular season. Bernier suffered the injury in the third period of Toronto’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Center on Thursday.
Jonathan Bernier has a MCL strain. Out at least three weeks.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 4, 2014The Leafs goaltender left the game with just under 12 minutes remaining in regulation, as teammate Paul Ranger shoved Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron and was replaced by James Reimer. Bernier was out from March 13 to March 25 with a slight groin strain and the only good news is that the injury suffered on Thursday was not a recurrence of that injury.
The agent for Drew MacIntyre indicated that the 30-year-old goalie has been emergency recalled by the Leafs. MacIntyre is currently on a road trip with the Toronto Marlies, who play in Utica Friday night, so the Leafs invited Ryerson University goaltender Troy Passingham to be their second goaltender at the club's optional skate Friday morning.
James Reimer made 10 saves in relief of Bernier in less than 15 minutes on Thursday and will undoubtedly be the starter for the Leafs in their home finale against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
Reimer did not appear to be comfortable against Boston, allowing Patrice Bergeron’s tying goal with 7:09 left in regulation, but that has been the case in most of his appearances since Bernier has been given the starting job, but with Bernier is done for the remainder of the regular season, Toronto’s slim playoff chances will rest squarely on the shoulders of the man from Morweena, MB.
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Listen to the April 3rd edition of Leaf Buzz with co-host John Restaino:
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