The Toronto Maple Leafs capped off a successful California road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. The club secured five of a possible six points, going 2-0-1 in three games and creating some breathing room at the top of the Atlantic Division.
With the win, the Leafs now hold a three-point lead over both the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, sitting at 94 points with just eight regular-season games remaining.
The three-game swing happened all in four nights, and although it started shaky, it ended as a success. On Thursday, the club scratched and clawed their way to earn a single point against the San Jose Sharks, scoring twice in the final 44 seconds to force overtime. Despite falling 6-5 in a shootout, they salvaged a crucial point in a game they didn’t deserve.
'We're Starting To Find A Groove': Maple Leafs' Power Play Success A Positive Entering Final Stretch Of Regular SeasonToronto scored four of their five goals against San Jose on Thursday with an extra man on the ice.
Two days later, the first of a back-to-back, Toronto earned a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings, thanks to a three-goal third period. The Kings, the NHL’s best home team this season, entered the game riding a seven-game win streak on home ice and had collected points in 15 straight contests. The Leafs found a seam in the third period after being shut out in the opening 40 minutes, securing two more points and catapulting to the top of the division.
On Sunday, the trip concluded in Anaheim, where Steven Lorentz delivered the game-winning goal at 11:35 of the third period to lift the Leafs past the Ducks. Toronto weathered a strong push from Anaheim, getting outshot 31-23 and spending long stretches of the game in their own zone, including a first period where they were heavily outplayed.
'In The Playoffs, That's Going To Be Huge': Steven Lorentz Scores Fourth Game-Winning Goal Of Season In Maple Leafs' Win Over Ducks Lorentz had two goals in the playoffs last spring with Florida, one of which was a game-winner.
Regardless, they cashed in on important points when it mattered.
“It's great. It's not an easy road trip,” said star forward Mitch Marner. “But anyway, three games and four nights to get used to a ...
