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 Winger Mason Raymond scored the game-winning, short-handed goal,
and reserve goalie James Reimer made 31 saves as the Maple Leafs
beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 Thursday at Staples Center.
Reimer relieved an injured Bernier after the first period and shut
out the Kings the rest of the way. The Leafs provided no details
about Bernier except that he sustained a lower-body injury.
Toronto (36-24-8) won for the second time in three games on a
five-game road trip. The win moved the Leafs three points ahead of
the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens for second place in
the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of
the playoffs.
Bernier was looking to avenge a loss earlier this season against his
former team, but it was Reimer who bounced back after losing to the
San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Relegated to the role of backup when
Bernier won the starting job earlier in the season, Reimer was razor-sharp stopping a number of close in attempts by Kings center Anze
Kopitar.
"It's been an up-and-down road trip for us," Leafs defenseman Carl
Gunnarsson said. "We played a real good game against Anaheim and
then a setback against San Jose, but this was a good win."
Raymond's short-handed goal at 5:06 of the third period broke a 2-2
tie. Off a two-on-one break, Raymond took a feed from winger James
van Riemsdyk and fired a slap shot past Los Angeles goaltender
Jonathan Quick for his 19th goal of the season.
On the sequence leading up to the winning goal, Kopitar had the lead
goal on his stick only see the puck wind up in the other net moments
later.
"I missed an open net," Kopitar said. "Reimer made a toe save, and
then I fired over the net. Nobody knew where the puck was, they came
down on a two-on-one and scored."
The Leafs rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie the game on a pair
of goals by defensemen. Dion Phaneuf sliced the lead to one on the
power play at 18:13 of the opening period. Center Nazem Kadri won a
battle along the boards and fed Phaneuf down the slot for a backhand
shot. It was Phaneuf's seventh goal of the campaign.
"We found a way to get a big goal," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said.
"Dion's goal was at the end of the power play, and it got us going."
The Leafs even the score when Gunnarsson scored his second of the
season at 3:46 of the second period. The shot from 50 feet was not
screened, and Quick (26 saves) appeared to fan on an attempt that
was very stoppable.
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Los Angeles' special teams improved since a stretch of games in
January that saw them lose nine of 10, but special teams were their
downfall Thursday. Phaneuf's power-play goal gave the Leafs life,
while Raymond's was the dagger.
"Our power play was not good enough," Kings coach Darryl Sutter
said. "It costs us the game."
The Kings got on the board first when newly acquired winger Marian
Gaborik scored his first goal in a Los Angeles uniform at 1:57 of
the first period. Defenseman Drew Doughty's backhand shot was
stopped by Bernier, and Gaborik beat Phaneuf to the rebound at the
right post to notch his seventh goal of the season.
Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar scored his team-leading 21st goal of
the season on the power play at 16:05 to double the lead. Doughty
penetrated deep into the Toronto zone and threw a cross-ice pass to
Kopitar, who beat Bernier cleanly with a wrist shot.
The Kings (38-23-6) lost for the first time since the Olympic break
as their eight-game winning streak was snapped. They fell short of
tying the franchise record of nine straight victories, and they seem
destined to start the playoffs on the road as the third seed in the
division. The loss also prevented Sutter from earning his 500th NHL
coaching victory.
Quick (21-14-2) stopped 26 shots and failed in his bid to tie Rogie
Vachon's franchise record for career victories (171) by a
goaltender.
NOTES: Toronto scratched C Peter Holland and RW Carter Hutton. ...
The game marked the first visit by the Leafs to Staples Center in
over three years. They last skated in Los Angeles on Jan 10, 2011.
... Leafs RW David Clarkson continues to struggle. The former
30-goal scorer is goal-less in his past nine games. ... The Kings
did not dress D Matt Greene and LW Tanner Pearson. ... The Kings
continue a five-game homestand Saturday against arch-rival Anaheim
Ducks in what could be a preview of a first-ever playoff series
between the Southern California teams. ... Los Angeles announced its
100th consecutive sellout at Staples Center, a streak started on Dec
3, 2011.
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