New York Islanders end Toronto Maple Leafs’ winning streak at four games
If there’s one way to play the role of a giant killer, it’s to have a Toronto-area native play a significant role in defeating his hometown team.
That’s exactly what John Tavares, who hails from a suburb of Toronto did as the New York Islanders handed the Maple Leafs their first loss of the season, beating them 3-1 in overtime.
Up until this game, the Leafs had begun the 2010-11 National Hockey League season with four straight wins. In addition, left-winger Clarke MacArthur emerged as somewhat of a scoring threat,
scoring a goal in each of the Leafs’ first four games. However, just like his team’s winning streak, MacArthur’s scoring streak also came to an end in the game against the Islanders.
There were no goals scored in the game until the 2:17 mark of the second period. The Islanders got the ball rolling at the Air Canada Centre with the game’s first goal, which was scored
by Matt Moulson. Moulson used a backhand shot to put the puck past Leafs goaltender J.S. Giguere, with Tavares and Frans Nielsen earning assists on the play.
Moulson’s goal was the lone tally of the second period, and Phil Kessel’s power play marker was the only goal of the third. With James Wisnewski serving a cross-checking penalty in the
penalty box, Phil Kessel swept in and found the back of the net with a snap shot at 17:55 for the late equalizer. Leafs’ captain Dion Phaneuf and Tomas Kaberle picked up the assists.
With the game now tied at one goal apiece, the game moved into overtime. The Toronto faithful, who packed the Air Canada Centre to see their team in action, were on the edges of their
seats as the home team battled hard against the visiting Isles. But their hopes of seeing the Maple Leafs get their fifth straight win were dashed when Tavares’ slap shot beat Giguere 3:36 into overtime. Wisnewski and P.A. Parenteau were credited with the
assists.
Dwayne Roloson of the Islanders turned aside 29 Toronto shots to earn the win, while Leafs counterpart Giguere made 18 saves to pick up the loss.
Needless to say, Tavares was happy to score the game-winning goal, especially since his friends and family were in attendance.
“A great ending,” said Tavares, who has scored four goals in five career games played against the Leafs. “That’s something I worked on this summer – working on my shot.
“I thought it (the puck) might have hit something. I didn’t really see it go in; I just saw the guys kind of celebrating. It’s a great feeling.”
The Leafs thought they had tied the game on two occasions, but the scoring attempts from Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong were disallowed by the on-ice officials. Despite that, Toronto
head coach Ron Wilson was satisfied with his team’s efforts.
“I thought we played a very good game throughout the night,” Wilson said. “In some instances, we didn't have any puck luck. A couple of calls went completely against us. Our guys never
gave up. I can’t complain about our performance at all.”
Both teams will return to action on Thursday, 21 October. The Leafs will face the New York Rangers, while the Islanders will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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