Nikolai Kuleman leads Toronto Maple Leafs in win over the Dallas Stars
After a small hiccup on the weekend which saw them fall 2-0 to the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs got back to winning form with a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday 22 November.
How it happened
Maple Leafs forward Nikolai Kuleman – who had three shots against the Canadiens but couldn't solve Carey Price – had five shots against the Stars and had the hot hand beating Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen
at 10:52 of the first period and 14:05 of the second to put Toronto up 2-0. For Kuleman, the two goals were his sixth and seventh of the season as he went on to capture the game's first star honors.
Brad Richards pulled a goal back for the stars less than a minute and a half after Kuleman scored his second for his tenth of the year, but Tyler Bozak scored a minute and half after that to restore Toronto's
two-goal lead.
Kris Versteeg added an empty netter with time winding down in the third, and the Toronto defence was strong in limiting Dallas to just 22 shots on the night, of which Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson was
able to stop 21.
What they're saying
Gustavsson has been benefiting from some added playing time with starter J.S. Giguere out with a groin injury. Gustavsson has been making the most of the opportunity letting in a mere four goals in three
games and stopping 87 of the 91 shots he's faced over that stretch.
"The more I play, the more experienced I get," Gustavsson told reporters after the game. "I feel in great shape right now and that's positive."
Leafs forward Nazem Kadri continues to impress as he collected another assist – his fourth of the season in just five games played – and management is beginning to envision the 20-year-old remaining in
the lineup for the rest of the season.
"He's still young but he's producing just about every game," Leafs coach Ron Wilson said of Kadri. "He's creating scoring chances and paying attention and trying to do things defensively.
"If his play falls off, he may need some more seasoning in the minors. But right now it doesn't look like it."
The Maple Leafs, after surviving a horrible start to the month of November, have begun to turn things around and have now won three of their last four games. They have the middle part of the week off as
they prepare to take on the Sabres in Buffalo on Friday 26 November.
The Dallas Stars, despite their winning record, remain at the bottom of the Pacific Division and out of the top eight in the Western Conference. They stay in Ontario and get set to take on the Ottawa Senators
on Wednesday night.
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