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

Avs, Leafs square off in Toronto

Oct 14, 2014 - 3:04 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs broke out offensively last time out on the ice.

The Colorado Avalanche didn't exactly light up the scoreboard on Monday night, but got enough to secure their first victory of the season.

The two clubs square off on Tuesday night, with each looking for a second straight victory.

The Maple Leafs scored five times in losing their first two games of the season to Montreal and Pittsburgh, but put together a five-goal second period on Sunday in a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers.

Phil Kessel scored a goal and had two assists, while Cody Franson, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak all finished with a goal and an assist.

"They had more opportunities with the puck," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said of his club. "We didn't have many turnovers in the first 10 minutes. We drew some penalties and the power play clicked. Those things went in our favor."

James Reimer allowed two goals on 26 shots, but left in the third period after a collision with New York forward Dominic Moore. Jonathan Bernier allowed one goal on 12 shots in relief.

Reimer, though, was able to practice on Monday and it is unknown if he or Bernier will start. Reimer is 2-1-0 with a 2.65 goals against average and .910 save percentage in his career versus the Avs, while Bernier is 0-1-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .939 save percentage in one start and one relief appearance.

Colorado's offensive struggles were even more pronounced, with the club opening the season with consecutive shutout losses to the Minnesota Wild.

The Avalanche then failed to light the lamp in the first period of last night's game versus Boston before seeing their scoreless streak snapped a 143 minutes and 28 seconds on Jamie McGinn's second-period tally.

Colorado didn't get anything offensively after that until Danny Briere pumped home a rebound goal with just four-tenths of a second left in regulation for a 2-1 win. It was Briere's 300th career tally and first with Colorado.

"The work ethic was back. When you play that way, it's just a matter of time before you get rewarded," Briere said. "It's certainly a good feeling to find a loose puck like that late in the game and get a big win, especially after the start that we had."

Reto Berra stopped 27-of-28 shots in his Colorado starting debut, while Avs forward Jarome Iginla made his return to Boston and was held without a shot on goal in 17:17 of ice time.

Despite Berra getting the win, Semyon Varlamov is expected to start this game for Colorado. He is 2-1-1 in his career versus the Maple Leafs with a 2.60 GAA and .917 save percentage.

The Avs and Leafs split a pair of meetings last season, with each team winning on the road. Colorado has won four straight in Toronto, where it has not lost since March 20, 2004.






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