Sabres Take Leafs 3-2
Posted January 8, 2010 10:47 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Rookie defenceman Tyler Myers scored two of Buffalo’s three power-play goals and assisted on the other in the Sabres’ 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.
Ryan Miller made a career-high 48 saves, and Tim Kennedy also scored in Buffalo’s sixth straight victory and 10th in a row against Toronto.
Matt Stajan and John Mitchell scored third-period goals for Toronto, and Vesa Toskala stopped 28 shots. The Maple Leafs have lost four of their last five.
The 19-year-old Myers, second among NHL rookies with 26 points, scored his fifth and sixth goals from close range against Toskala. On the first, which gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead with 2:21 remaining in the first period, Myers pinched in and took a nice cross-crease pass from Thomas Vanek. The second, 7½ minutes into the second period, was similar, but Tim Connolly’s shot drifted wide as Myers charged in for the tip.
Myers became the first Sabres defenceman with a multigoal game since Jaroslav Spacek scored twice at Philadelphia last Feb. 19.
Kennedy opened the scoring 1:27 before Myers’ first tally, wristing a shot past Toskala’s short side. Buffalo’s first two goals came after Toronto’s Rickard Wallin was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking Connolly.
Mitchell’s goal got Toronto back to a one-goal deficit with 2:43 left, but Miller made four stops after Toronto used an extra attacker.
Miller, selected to the U.S. Olympic team last week, once again played well against Toronto coach Ron Wilson, who will direct the U.S. team. In winning all five games this season against the Maple Leafs, Miller has a goals-against average of 1.58 and a .960 save percentage.
