Late comeback attempt falls short in Toronto
TORONTO » Goals from Calle Jarnkrok and Mitchell Marner ignited the Toronto Maple Leafs late in the second period.
They then survived a late-game scare to score a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday.
In their final outing before the Christmas break, the Maple Leafs (21-7-6) increased their victory string at Scotiabank Arena to six games and a perfect 5-0 in December. Only the Boston Bruins, who beat Winnipeg Jets later Thursday, have a better home record at 18-0-2 to the Maple Leafs’ 13-2-3.
The Flyers (11-16-7) arrived in Toronto with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
But after the Maple Leafs built a 4-1 advantage, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee scored 83 seconds apart to make it a one-goal game with 6:36 left in the third period.
“I don’t think his game was anywhere near (where) it should be throughout most of the game. But towards the end, he gets involved in a few scoring chances and we get an opportunity to try to win. Or at least tie,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said of Frost.
Toronto buzzed around the visitors before a matinee crowd of 18,908, but Flyers goalie Carter Hart stopped the first 23 shots he faced.
“I liked this kind of game, a two o’clock game, get the kids out, and it was nice to get a win for them,” said Toronto forward Michael Bunting.
The 24th shot, a Jarnkrok redirect from a Marner shot, finally beat Hart with 3:10 left in the second period. Pierre Engvall, playing in his 200th career game, recorded the secondary assist on Jarnkrok’s goal.
Marner slid a shot underneath Hart’s right pad 2:47 later for Toronto’s second goal, 13 seconds into a power play.
Bunting kept the good vibrations moving by completing a William Nylander to Auston Matthews passing play for a two-goal lead.
Nylander hit the 20-goal
mark in the third period before Frost tucked in a wrist shot on the next shift.
The Maple Leafs outshot the visitors 34-19 and Hart had a five-game personal win streak halted.
Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov faced only eight shots in the first two periods.
“Those are hard games to play, especially after the one
in Washington,” said Samsonov, referring to the 28 shots he faced in a 5-2 loss to the Capitals on Saturday.
TIME TO BREATHE
The Maple Leafs are off until Tuesday, when they begin a three-game road trip.“Getting the extra time, it’s important no matter what,” Toronto coach Sheldon
Keefe said of the upcoming break. “I know every team in the league has their own things going on, and the schedule is not easy.“So time to breathe, recover, and have fun with your family is important.”
UP NEXT
FLYERS » At Carolina on Friday night.