Hagman and Kessel help Toronto claw back for 6-4 win over Panthers

Its amazing how Toronto continues to struggle in the first period and yet still manages to find a way to get back into games.  Tonight was no different as Jonas Gustavsson allowed 2 Florida goals in the first 2 mins and 4 seconds of the game.  The second goal was one he should have had; Michael Froiik's shot from the corner somehow slipped through his five-hole.  Gustavsson somewhat redeemed himself with two huge saves on Florida's best player, Nathan Horton, just minutes later.  

A fantastic effort end-to-end rush from Phil Kessel closed the gap to 1.  Kessel looked like Bobby Orr rushing from his own end virtually untouched to snap a wrist shot past Tomas Vokoun.  Colton Orr and Steve MacIntyre dropped the gloves in the opening frame.  It was rare to see Colton actually get his clock cleaned for a change.  He was no match for the 6'5" AHL call-up.  

Niklas Hagman scored on a nice tip-in 2:30 into the second period.  Dmitry Kukilov responded with a bullet slap-shot minutes later to restore the Florida lead.  Dennis Seidenberg went off for shooting the puck over the glass resulting in a Toronto power-play.  Toronto took advantage with a sweet tip-in by Alexei Ponikarovsky that Vokoun had no chance on to tie it up at 3-3.     

Toronto didn't take the lead until the third period.  Kukilov once again put Florida ahead with a power-play goal.  After a goal by Phil Kessel knotted the score at 4-4, Niklas Hagman scored his second of the night to put the Leafs ahead 5-4.  Matt Stajan scored an empty-netter with 8 seconds left to seal the deal.

Andrew's Analysis

Niklas Hagman is absolutely on fire!  He now has 6 goals in his last 4 goals to put his season total at 13.  He's on pace to score 46 goals this season which would shatter his career-best 27 scored with the Dallas Stars in 2007-2008.  Hagman is ranked 14th in the league in goal scoring, just 6 goals behind league-leading Marian Gaborik.  Dare I suggest a Leaf forward could challenge for the Maurice Richard trophy this year?  It's a little early for that... Phil Kessel matched Hagman with another 2 goals of his own tonight.  In just 12 games Kessel has 9 goals placing him 3rd on the team in goals scored this season.

Tonight's game marked the 9th game in a row that the Leafs have fired 30 or more shots on net.  Toronto leads the league with an average of 34.7 shots on net per game.  Unfortunately the Leafs are 18th in the league with only 2.75 goals per game.  It might be wise to concentrate more on creating quality scoring chances than firing the puck blindly on net (listen up Jason Blake).

Jason Blake's struggles continue... He still has just 2 goals on the season, on pace to fall well short of his career-best 40 goals.  Coach Ron Wilson put Blake on the 4th line tonight for most of the game which severely limited his ice-time.  He was on the ice for a season-low 10 mins and 24 seconds.  It's a bit of a 'Catch 22': you want to punish his poor performance but at the same time, limiting his ice time doesn't give him the chance to get back on track with the chance to score goals.

Alexei Ponikarovsky had his best game of the season.  He managed to score once and add 3 helpers for a big 4-point night.  He was also a solid +3 on the night.

Jonas Gustavsson is lucky his forwards came out to play tonight.  On most nights allowing 4 goals is going to result in a loss (let alone 2 in the first 3 minutes!).  While his record of 5-4-5 is promising, he's allowed 20 goals in his last 6 starts.  That's a goals-against-average of 3.33... not good enough.  

Tonight's win was a big one for the Leafs.  They are now just 5 points behind the 13th ranked Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference standings.  They are also just 8 points out of a playoff spot. 

Quick Hits

The 5 goals allowed by Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun were the most he's let in since October 24th when he allowed 5 in a loss to Philadelphia...Leaf Christian Hanson recorded his first point of the season with an assist on Hagman's game-winning goal...Jeff Finger did not play tonight and is questionable for Monday's game against Buffalo.  

3 stars    

1) Niklas Hagman (2 G including the game winner, +1)

2) Phil Kessel (2 G, +2, 5 shots)

3) Alexei Ponikarovsky (1 G, 3 A, +3)

Next up: Toronto hosts Buffalo Monday night at 7 PM     

If you have any thoughts or comments on tonight's game I encourage you to post them in the comments section below or send me an e-mail.  If you're a passionate Leafs fan and are interested in being notified whenever I post a new article please click the subscribe button on the top of the page.  GO LEAFS GO!