Leafs can’t hold on to late lead

Frederik Andersen was asked Tuesday morning whether there would be challenges for the goaltender coming off a bye week.

“Just getting back in the feel of it again, feel like having your feet under yourself,” the Toronto Maple Leafs netminder said.

“It’s about coming back with a really good sense of urgency and putting together some wins.”

Several hours later, Andersen put some muscle behind his words.

Andersen was the best Leaf on the ice against the St. Louis Blues at the Air Canada Centre, making 40 saves, but his teammates could score just one goal and the Blues left with a 2-1 overtime win.

Vince Dunn scored the winner at 1:43 of the extra period, beating Andersen with a low shot on the stick side on an odd-man rush.

That came not long after Blues goalie Carter Hutton stopped William Nylander on a breakaway.

Both teams were coming off their bye week. The Leafs, who had not played since losing at home against the Ottawa Senators last Wednesday, finished a six-game homestand with a record of 2-2-2.

The Leafs were holding on to a 1-0 lead in the final minute when Alex Steen put an Alex Pietrangelo rebound past Andersen to tie the game with 57 seconds remaining.

The Leafs had several chances to clear the puck but were unable to do so. On the goal, Ron Hainsey was right there, but could not react in time to get the puck before Steen used a backhand to score.

Connor Brown broke a goalless tie at 10:10 of the third period when he scored the Leafs’ third shorthanded goal of the season.

Brown burst past a diving Pietrangelo to take control of a bouncing puck and skated in alone on Hutton. Brown, buried on the fourth line for much of the season, waited for Hutton to commit and then roofed the puck.

Earlier in the period, Morgan Rielly, who made a couple of big gaffes in the Leafs’ final two games before the break, made a fine defensive play to track down Ivan Barbashev, who had a brief breakaway on Andersen.

The Blues didn’t have much to worry about early. They were outshooting the Leafs 6-1 before the game was two minutes old.

Hutton wasn’t as busy as Andersen, but had to be on the ball to make saves on Tyler Bozak, who was set up by Connor Carrick, and Nazem Kadri.

The Blues remain the only NHL team Auston Matthews does not have a point against. Matthews has played the Blues four times now.