Predators 4 - 5 Maple Leafs
Final
  for this game

Toronto's power play too much for Nashville

Nov 17, 2010 - 8:07 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Kris Versteeg had two of the four power-play goals Toronto scored in the second period, helping the Maple Leafs rally to beat the Nashville Predators, 5-4, and halt an eight-game winless streak.

Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin also lit the lamp in the middle stanza for Toronto, which hadn't posted a victory since October 26 against Florida.

Maple Leafs netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere allowed four goals on 28 shots before he was replaced in the third period by Jonas Gustavsson, who stopped all six shots he faced over the final 13 minutes.

J-P Dumont, Jordin Tootoo and Martin Erat each scored in the first period for the Predators, who have dropped six of eight. Pekka Rinne made 28 saves in defeat.

"We just have to regroup and go from there," Dumont said. "In this league there is no time to sit back and watch them play."

A shorthanded goal by Marcel Goc gave Nashville a 4-1 lead at the 4:41 mark of the second period, but Toronto's power play erased the deficit.

Versteeg scored twice in a 59-second span, the latter coming at 7:21, then Grabovski, whose ghastly turnover led to the third Nashville goal, redeemed himself by tying the game with 5:39 remaining. Toronto grabbed the lead 2:23 later when Kulemin found a loose puck down low and buried it.

Giguere and Gustavsson combined to make 14 saves in the third period. It was unclear what forced Giguere to leave the game.

"It was a strange game to say the least and I'm glad we won," Toronto head coach Ron Wilson said. "It's one of those kinds of games that when you look back on it, hopefully it puts an abrupt stop to the slide we've been in and we can use it for momentum."

Dumont gave Nashville a 1-0 lead 8:13 into the contest, taking a feed from David Legwand and beating Giguere.

Tootoo and Erat scored 10 seconds apart to make it 3-0. Tootoo collected a Legwand pass in the neutral zone and skated around a Toronto defenseman before firing the puck behind Giguere. After Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson called a timeout, Grabovski swept the puck in front of his own goal and onto to the stick of Erat, who beat a bewildered Giguere at 11:43.

Luke Schenn put Toronto on the board with 30 seconds left in the first period.

Game Notes

Clarke MacArthur had three assists for the Maple Leafs...Rookie forward Nazem Kadri earned his first NHL point with an assist on Toronto's second goal...Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter played his 400th career game.






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