TORONTO (AP) Mitch Marner led the charge on a night full of
milestones for the Toronto Maple Leafs.Marner had a goal and an assist to extend
his point streak to 10 games and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Florida
Panthers 4-3 on Wednesday night to set a franchise record with their 46th
win.Toronto also set a high-water mark with its 27th home win. The Philadelphia
Flyers held off the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 later
Wednesday
St. Louis
Blues T-Shirts Authentic , keeping the Leafs from clinching a playoff spot
for at least one more night.¡±Those things are all nice to get,¡± Toronto coach
Mike Babcock said of the records. ¡±But we¡¯ve got bigger plans. We¡¯re just moving
along and trying to get better. This is a good win, it gives you
confidence.James van Riemsdyk added his 35th goal ¨C and the 200th career ¨C for
Toronto, while Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau added their 30th and 25th
goals, respectively.Frederik Andersen made 30 saves and set a career high with
his 36th victory.Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice, and Evgenii Dadonov also
scored for Florida, which got 31 stops from Roberto Luongo, including a couple
of big ones early.Both Huberdeau and Dadonov hit the 25-goal mark.Florida,
meanwhile, remains three points back of New Jersey for the second wild card in
the Eastern Conference, with one game in hand.¡±These are the games you¡¯re judged
on,¡± Florida coach Bob Boughner said. ¡±This team¡¯s been pretty consistent for
the second half of the
season
St. Louis Blues
Hoodies Authentic , and tonight for 20 minutes we weren¡¯t.¡±Toronto came
out flying after having its club-record home winning streak snapped at 13 by
last-place Buffalo on Monday. Luongo stopped van Riemsdyk on a breakaway, then
robbed Tyler Bozak of what looked like a sure goal with a blocker save.The Leafs
broke through at 3:05, when Marner was quickest to his own rebound off the end
boards to get his 21st.Luongo thwarted another chance by Bozak from the slot
later in the period, but could do nothing when Matthews beat him five-hole on
what turned into a 4-on-2 rush with the Panthers caught gambling at 9:24.¡±Wanted
to shoot it high and then at the last moment he was kind of standing up, so at
the last second I let up a little bit and was able to sneak it in five-hole,¡±
Matthews said. ¡±I think he was guessing glove, and that¡¯s where I thought I was
going.¡±Matthews scored 40 goals last season as a rookie but has missed 20 games
this season with various injuries. He joins van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri (30) in
the Leafs¡¯ 30-goal club this season.Toronto made it 3-0 at 13:55 when Marner
wheeled off the boards and found a wide-open Marleau for a tap-in.Marner has
four goals and nine assists in his point streak and 30 points (11 goals, 19
assists) in his last 20 games.¡±It¡¯s been fun,¡± Marner said. ¡±This team is
feeling confident.¡±Marleau, meanwhile, tied Frank Mahovlich for 33rd on the
NHL¡¯s career list with the 533rd goal.Florida cut the deficit to 3-1 at 17:49 of
the first when Huberdeau took advantage of Zach Hyman¡¯s miscue in the Leafs zone
and zipped in his 24th.Desperate for points in their playoff chase, the Panthers
couldn¡¯t capitalize on a 37-second 5-on-3 early in the second before Andersen
robbed Huberdeau with a diving glove save after one of the penalized Leafs had
returned.Huberdeau scored at 15:08 when he picked the top corner on Andersen
after Aaron Eklad hit the post midway through the period for
Florida
St. Louis Blues
Hats Authentic , which was 13-3-1 over its previous 17 coming into
Wednesday.In the third, Luongo shot out his pad to rob van Riemsdyk again, but
the big forward found his own rebound while getting slammed to the ice at
11:48.Van Riemsdyk has nine goals and three assists in his last eight
games.Dadonov poked goal past Andersen on a rebound with 1:26 left.NOTES:
Andersen won 35 games with Anaheim in 2014-15. ¡ Tomas Plekanec assisted on
Marner¡¯s opener for his first point in 13 games since coming over in a trade
with Montreal. ¡ The Leafs won 45 games in 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2003-04, and
secured 44 victories in both 1992-93 and 2002-03, but those seasons all came
before the NHL instituted the shootout to break ties. Toronto leads the NHL with
seven shootout victories this season. ¡ The Leafs¡¯ previous high of 26 home wins
came in 2005-06. ¡UP NEXTPanthers: Visit Ottawa on Thursday night.Maple Leafs:
Play at the New York Islanders on Friday night before coming home to host
Winnipeg on Saturday night.¡ª SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Evander Kane followed a
similar timeline after each of his first eight NHL regular seasons.Pack up the
locker, say goodbye to teammates and get frustrated watching other players
compete in the playoffs rather than getting his own opportunity on the big
stage.A late-season trade to San Jose changed all that for Kane, who is excited
for his first chance at the postseason after 574 career games when the Sharks
open their first-round series in Anaheim on Thursday night.¡±I¡¯ve said it in the
past: I think I¡¯m a playoff player,¡± Kane said Monday. ¡±I¡¯ve watched the
playoffs and when I look at the style of play and it¡¯s something I was jealous
because I wasn¡¯t involved in it. Now I get that opportunity and I have to back
those words up.¡±Kane has had plenty of personal success since making his debut
for Atlanta as an 18-year-old in 2009 after being the fourth overall pick that
year. But his teams never had success in Atlanta, Winnipeg or Buffalo and he
always spent the spring as a spectator rather than as a participant.He joins a
franchise that has been a playoff regular, making the postseason for the 13th
time in the past 14 seasons under general manager Doug
Wilson
Custom St.
Louis Blues Jerseys , including a run to the Stanley Cup Final two years
ago.¡±Fans and players in this organization are spoiled when it comes to that,¡±
center Logan Couture said. ¡±You make the playoffs 13 of 14 years ¨C obviously it
starts at the top with Doug and the coaching staffs they¡¯ve brought in here.
It¡¯s pretty remarkable really to make the playoffs that many times. I missed it
once and it¡¯s devastating when you miss it. We¡¯re lucky to play for this
organization.¡±That¡¯s why Kane was so excited about the trade to San Jose on Feb.
26 for two draft picks and a prospect.Kane has made a big impact on the Sharks
since arriving. He stepped right onto the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and
has used his speed and physical play to deliver nine goals and five assists in
17 games.His presence sparked an eight-game winning streak in March that helped
San Jose clinch a playoff berth and he has helped fill a scoring void created
when Patrick Marleau left as a free agent for Toronto last summer and then Joe
Thornton went down with a knee injury in January.¡±In the short period he¡¯s been
here, he¡¯s brought speed which backs teams off, he¡¯s brought a physical
presence, which keeps some people honest,¡± coach Peter DeBoer said. ¡±For me, the
biggest thing is he¡¯s probably added a goal a night for us. When Patty Marleau
left, and we asked guys to take a step, you¡¯re not scoring as much as you
normally would, and there was a lot of 2-1 games and we found a way to battle
things out. Eventually, Jumbo going down, it started to catch up with us. That
extra goal a game that he¡¯s added to our
lineup
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whether it¡¯s him scoring himself or creating a goal, that¡¯s a difference in this
league.¡±Kane was hampered late in the season by an undisclosed injury that
forced him to miss two games before returning for the season finale against
Minnesota on Saturday.Kane didn¡¯t look like his usual self that game but said it
was important to get rid of some ¡±cobwebs¡± before the playoffs started and he
gets the chance to back up his belief that he can thrive at this time of
year.¡±It¡¯s a fast, hard-nosed game,¡± he said. ¡±The intensity ramps up and the
style of play. It¡¯s hard to score. There are a lot of 2-1 games, 3-2 games, and
you have to find different ways to score. I¡¯ve always prided myself on being
able to score in different ways and I think the physical element as well. That¡¯s
a big part of the playoffs. Guys who have 20 hits all year the next thing you
know they have 20 hits in two games. It¡¯s definitely a different animal and I¡¯m
looking forward to experiencing it.¡±NOTES: DeBoer said he expects all his
players to be available for Game 1 on Thursday with the exception of Thornton,
who has been out since Jan. 23.¡ª