Toronto Maple Leafs top Buffalo Sabres
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres met for the second time in three nights on Monday at the Air Canada Centre. However, unlike Saturday the Leafs were able to come away with a win in front of their hometown fans, downing the Sabres 5-4.
The Leafs went with a line-up, which is expected to be their roster on opening night. The club chose not to dress youngster Nazem Kadri, Luca Caputi and tough guy Jay Rosehill. Instead Toronto’s line-up was heavy with veteran talent and featured a top line
of Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel and Kris Versteeg. In addition, Jonas Gustavsson played his first full game of the pre-season in net.
The Sabres also chose to ice a club, which will look much the same on opening night. Nevertheless, Buffalo did not start sniper Thomas Vanek or crafty veteran Tim Connolly. Instead they chose to dress youngsters Zack Kassian and Nathan Gerbe. The Sabres split
the time in net between Patrick Lalime and Jhonas Enroth.
The Sabres were able to get on the board first with a power play goal from Drew Stafford, after the Leafs were charged for a too many men on the ice penalty.
Nevertheless, Toronto shot back with a power play goal of their own from Kessel, who slotted one home off a Dion Phaneuf rebound.
The Leafs struck again before the end of the period. Versteeg made a pretty toe drag to hold onto the puck, then fired a shot on net, where Kessel once again found himself in the right place, registering his second of the night.
Three minutes into the second period Derek Roy danced through the defence and muscled a shot on goal. Gustavsson gave up a huge rebound, which came all the way out to a waiting Gerbe, who made no mistake slapping one past the Swedish net-minder.
Toronto answered back five minutes later when Nikolai Kulemin displayed his impressive wrist shot, whipping one past a helpless Lalime.
Jordan Leopold was able to notch the game back up with five minutes left in the second. The defender fired one on net, which deflected off Tim Brent and past Gustavsson.
The Leafs regained the lead halfway through the third when Christian Hanson added to an already impressive camp, putting a slapper past the youngster Enroth.
Kulemin would add his second of the game with another brilliant wrist shot from the top of the circle. The snipe gave the Leafs a 5-3 lead and although Gerbe added his second of the competition at the 12-minute mark it was not enough, as the game finished in
a 5-4 Leafs win.
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