Leafs Earn Shootout Win Over Devils
Posted October 29, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Niklas Hagman scored on a nifty backhand in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 6-5 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.
After Hagman gave Toronto a 2-1 shootout lead, Vesa Toskala secured the win with a blocker save on Jamie Langenbrunner. Tomas Kaberle kept Toronto alive, beating Martin Brodeur in the third round after Patrik Elias scored for New Jersey.
In regulation, Matt Stajan scored twice and Alex Steen, Jamal Mayers and Alexei Ponikarovsky added goals for Toronto, which bounced back after a 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Toskala earned his first win against New Jersey in four decisions, stopping 26 shots through overtime.
David Clarkson, Dainius Zubrus, Jamie Langenbrunner, Colin White and Zach Parise scored for the Devils, who lost their third straight.
Clarkson and Zubrus scored in the first period when Brodeur made 13 saves and the Devils led 2-0.
Clarkson got the offence started at 2:32 with a deflection of Mike Mottau’s shot from the right point. Zubrus followed at 7:04, knocking a rebound past Toskala.
Stajan scored twice in the second period for the Maple Leafs, who stormed to a 3-2 lead.
Stajan deflected in Luke Schenn’s shot from the right boards at 4:13. The assist was the first NHL point for Schenn, the No. 5 pick in this year’s NHL draft. Stajan connected again at 5:31, four seconds after Brodeur was penalized for high sticking.
Steen gave Toronto the lead at 7:31.
Langenbrunner was credited with a deflection of Mottau’s shot at 9:14 as Andy Greene got his third assist of the game.
White, scoring only his 18th goal in a 531-game NHL career, put New Jersey back in front at 13:42.
Toronto again generated the bulk of the scoring chances, outshooting New Jersey 17-9 in the period.
In the third, Toronto reclaimed the lead on goals by Mayers and Ponikarovsky.
Persistent pressure by Toronto’s fourth-line paid off when Mayers tied the game at 9:15. Ponikarovsky added a power-play goal, the Maple Leafs’ third, at 10:25 for a 5-4 lead.
It didn’t last long as Parise extended his goal streak to five only 52 seconds later, knocking home Paul Martin’s rebound to tie it.
Toronto outshot New Jersey 18-9 in the third for a lopsided 48-25 advantage through regulation.
Schenn nearly cost the Leafs when he was penalized for playing with a broken stick, but Toskala bailed him out by making two point-blank stops on Langenbrunner.
New Jersey outshot Toronto 6-0 in overtime.
