Maple Leafs 3
Blues 2
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Kessel lifts Maple Leafs over Blues in shootout

Nov 11, 2011 - 6:03 AM
St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Phil Kessel scored the lone shootout goal to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Kessel added a goal during regulation for the Maple Leafs, who halted a two- game skid.

John-Michael Liles also scored in the win, while rookie Ben Scrivens stopped 38 shots.

Jason Arnott and Patrik Berglund both scored for the Blues, who suffered their first loss under new coach Ken Hitchcock.

Jaroslav Halak made 20 saves in defeat.

"It's one of those points that you've got to say is a good point, but it's disappointing when you've got a team on the ropes like that and you didn't get a chance to bury them," Hitchcock said.

Toronto grabbed the early advantage with a pair of first-period, power-play goals.

Liles struck initially, receiving a pass on the weak side from Dion Phaneuf and depositing a snap shot past Halak at the 11:27 mark.

Towards the end of the period, Kessel made it 2-0 on a wrister assisted by Joffrey Lupul.

"We did an outstanding job in the first period of limiting any of their opportunities," Toronto head coach Ron Wilson said. "We withstood their push for the first couple of minutes and then played basically the rest of the period in their end."

Arnott got the Blues on the board midway through the second.

He entered the Leafs' zone on a man advantage and dropped a pass to Alex Pietrangelo, then replaced in front of the net and received the puck for a one-time snap shot past Scrivens.

The rookie Scrivens, who has been thrust into action due to starting goalie James Reimer's head injury, was a stalwart through most of the third.

But Berglund found a rebound in a scrum in front of the net to bury the game- tying goal with 1:46 remaining.

Scrivens recovered, though, stopping two shots in overtime before denying Alexander Steen, T.J. Oshie and Matt D'Agostini in succession in the shootout.

Game Notes

This was the lone meeting of the season between these teams...The Maple Leafs had been outscored 12-1 during their two-game slide...Hitchcock was named head coach on Monday, replacing Davis Payne after the club's 6-7-0 start to the season. He won his debut, 3-0, over the Blackhawks on Tuesday.






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