Just one game after giving up six goals in Buffalo, the Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back in a big way on Monday, earning a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at the Air Canada Centre.
Toronto's offensive outburst comes exactly one month after the Leafs scored nine goals in a win over the Thrashers in Atlanta. In three games this season between the two teams, the winning club has scored five goals or more.
The Thrashers jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead thanks to six penalties taken by the Leafs in the first period.
Evander Kane scored from the slot just 2:39 into the game on the man advantage, while defenceman Dustin Byfuglien fired a rocket from the blue line past Giguere on a 5-on-3 at the 16:14 mark. Byfuglien's goal was his 17th of the season and first in 14 games.
Toronto answered early in the second period as Dion Phaneuf slapped the puck past Ondrej Pavelec for his second goal of the season just 1:21 into the period. The goal was Phaneuf's first as a Leaf at the Air Canada Centre in 35 home games since being acquired by Toronto last season. Mikhail Grabovski earned his 19th assist of the season on the play, while Nikolai Kulemin was credited with his 20th assist of the year.
Grabovski earned his second point of the night as he tipped in the puck to tie up the game at two at the 4:06 mark of the period. Grabovski's goal was his team-leading 22nd of the season, while linemate Clarke MacArthur picked up his 27th assist of the season, and Tomas Kaberle was credited with the secondary assist.
Atlanta re-gained their lead just 39 seconds after Grabovski's goal when former Leaf Nik Antropov scored 10th of the season. The goal was Antropov's second in seven career games versus his former club. Thrashers forward Anthony Stewart was credited with his 17th assist of the season on the play.
That lead would not last however as Tomas Kaberle set up Clarke MacArthur with a great feed who then redirected the puck past a sprawling Pavelec. MacArthur's goal was his 17th of the season which tied a career high set during the 2008-09 season with the Buffalo Sabres. Kaberle's assist was his second of the night and 32nd of the season, with the secondary assist being given to Kris Versteeg for his 21st of the year.
Toronto claimed the lead for the first time in the game when off a bad giveaway by Byfuglien in his own zone, Kulemin backhanded the puck past Pavelec to put the Leafs up 4-3. Kulemin's goal, which was scored at the 4:17 mark of the third, was his 19th of the season, tying him with Phil Kessel for second on the team in goals.
Just two games after a heroic shot blocking effort against the Carolina Hurricanes, Tim Brent contibuted with some offense, scoring his seventh goal of the season 9:28 into the third to extend the Leafs' lead to two. Joey Crabb was credited with his eighth assist of the season on the play, while Colby Armstrong earned his tenth assist of the year.
It would not take long for the Thrashers to trim Toronto's lead back down to one, as just 1:33 later, Atlanta's captain Andrew Ladd scored off a mad scramble in front of the Leafs' net for his 17th of the season and first in eight games. Rich Peverley and Bryan Little were credited with the assists on Ladd's goal.
That would be as close as the Thrashers would get as despite pulling Pavelec for the extra attacker, Atlanta could not score and lost their fourth straight. Monday's game was the first time in 14 games however that the Thrashers scored more than three goals.
Clarke MacArthur's dominance against his former team continued, as with a goal and an assist on Monday, the former Thrasher now has six goals and eleven points in 13 career games versus Atlanta.
Toronto's win is their third in four games since the All-Star break and improves J.S. Giguere's record to 11-9-3 this season. Giguere stated following the game that he was proud of his team for coming back from a two-goal deficit after a penalty-ridden first period.
"It's a good win," Giguere stated after stopping 30 shots for the victory. "We faced some adversity in the first period. I think we weren't using our feet enough and we managed to get into too many penalties with our sticks. So it was a tough first, but we stuck with it and found a way to come back and got a real big win."
The Leafs took six minor penalties in the first period and were charged with a total of seven throughout the game for their highest total of the season. Leafs head coach Ron Wilson voiced his displeasure with the officiating.
"We deserved maybe four of those penalties," Wilson stated. "A couple were iffy, but it's a fast moving game. All you want is an eye for an eye. And if we're going to get one for touching a guy's hand, then it should be called the other way too. And there were a few, but it didn't matter, because we found a way to get the job done anyway."
While Phil Kessel was held without a goal for his eleventh straight game, the 23-year old All-Star played a good game, registering two shots and was promoted to the team's top line alongside Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin during the second period.
Leafs general manager Brian Burke spoke with the media during the first intermission and explained that he was not disappointed with Kessel despite him losing his scoring touch, and added that better linemates could improve the situation.
"The reason Phil hasn't put up the numbers can't just be put on his back," Burke stated. "It's a failure of team personnel. No, I’m not disappointed in Phil."
"I don’t know what you guys have been watching, but he’s been dangerous every night. If he wasn’t getting scoring chances or he wasn’t working, I would be a lot more concerned. We might not have all of the pieces on the chessboard."
The Leafs will look to keep their winning ways alive as they head to Long Island to take on the Islanders on Tuesday.
Thrashers vs. Leafs Stats Recap
Shots
ATL: 34
TOR: 32
Shot Leaders
ATL: Andrew Ladd (5)
TOR: Mikhail Grabovski (6)
Power Play
ATL: 2/7
TOR: 1/4
Blocked Shots
ATL: 22
TOR: 13
Blocked Shot Leaders
ATL: Johnny Oduya and Brent Sopel tied (4)
TOR: Tomas Kaberle and Mike Komisarek tied (4)
Hits
ATL: 24
TOR: 26
Hits Leaders
ATL: Evander Kane (4)
TOR: Dion Phaneuf (5)
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