NHL Update: Toronto Maple Leafs trap San Jose Sharks 4-2, for fourth straight win
Carl Gunnarsson scored the game-winning goal in the third period as Toronto Maple Leafs nipped San Jose Sharks, 4-2, at the Shark Tank on Tuesday night.
Clarke MacArthur lit the lamp twice while Phil Kessel also tallied a goal for Maple Leafs, who have now won four consecutive playoff games and improved to 5-1-0 overall in 2011. James Reimer was strong with turning aside 40 shots in his side's win.
With this win, Toronto's Head Coach Ron Wilson registered 600th victory of his career.
"Well, it's pretty special. I mean, obviously, I think only six other guys have done it. You don't see it very often," Wilson said. "The best thing is that we managed to find a way to do it here."
On the other hand, Patrick Marleau recorded two goals for the slumping San Jose, who dropped its fifth straight contest and fell to 2-7-0 in its previous nine games overall. Antti Niemi surrendered three goals on 25 shots in Sharks' loss.
San Jose opened the scoring of the game and snatched 1-0 lead in the middle of the first period. It so happened when Jason Demers sent a long pass that was chased down along the boards by Joe Thornton. He then managed the puck along the goal line to the
left of the net and slipped a blind pass behind into the near circle for Marleau. The player was in perfect position to unleash a successful one-timer into the net in the eleventh minute and he did so perfectly.
The middle period was scoreless. San Jose could not capitalize despite having four power plays and 21 shots, in a continuation of what has plagued it throughout its current skid.
Sharks carried its one-goal advantage into the final period. Toronto slipped it away and tied the game at 1-1 when Kessel added his 19th goal of the season in the fourth minute of the final period.
The equalizer came when Tyler Bozak carried the puck into Sharks zone down the right side and sent a pass to Kessel. He then gathered the disc inside the left circle, skated around Sharks' blue liner Dan Boyle, then faked around Niemi and simply put the
puck into the open net.
Toronto struck again for a 2-1 lead on power-play in eighth minute of the third period. With Niclas Wallin in the penalty box for interference, MacArthur banged a backhander from the slot through traffic into the net.
Marleau tied the game at 2-2 after 65 seconds. He stole the disc in the neutral zone and moved in on a partial breakaway. He blasted a shot on net but it was stopped, however Marleau got his own rebound and tipped the loose puck over the shoulder of goalie
into the net.
Less than two minutes later, Maple Leafs regained the lead 3-2 for good. Their third goal of the match came as Dion Phaneuf fired a one-timer from right point. The puck striked several sticks from both teams on its way to the net and finally went under Niemi's
legs. Gunnarsson, one of several players present around the crease at that moment, tipped a point shot for his second goal of the season and the game-winner.
“I saw it the whole way,” Gunnarsson said. “I just put my stick out there. I got lucky and got a piece of it. I don’t know if it would have gone in anyways, but I’ll take it.”
Reimer was solid down the stretch and San Jose pulled Niemi for the extra attacker. Niemi stopped Kessel on a breakaway and kept the game close. But MacArthur's empty-net goal in the final minute sealed the 4-2 win for Maple Leafs.
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