Maple Leafs 4 - 2 Senators
Final
  for this game

Toronto keeps playoff hopes alive with win over Sens

Apr 3, 2011 - 5:09 AM Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Tyler Bozak and Nikolai Kulemin each had third period goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs keep their playoff hopes alive with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Nazem Kadri and Phil Kessel also tallied for the Leafs, who have won three straight and six of their last seven games to help their push for the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2004. Toronto now has 84 points and sits three back of the idle New York Rangers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

James Reimer made 23 saves in the win.

Jason Spezza scored the two goals for the Sens, who have been eliminated from the playoffs and have dropped three of their last for games. Craig Anderson allowed all four goals on 30 shots in the loss.

"We have to keep momentum when we get it and we didn't tonight," Spezza said.

Bozak buried the go-ahead goal with 14:18 left to play in regulation. Carl Gunnarsson sent a shot from the left side of the net and the rebound went right in front, where Bozak got a piece of Joffrey Lupul's jam from in tight.

The Leafs then tallied an insurance goal with 1:20 left on Kulmin's one-timer from a Clarke MacArthur feed.

Toronto drew first blood 12:23 into the game when Kessel broke free down the left side and fired a shot, which was initially blocked by Anderson but the charging Kessel knocked in his own rebound.

The lead grew to 2-0 on Anderson's misplay just over 4 1/2 minutes into the second. The goaltender went to play the puck behind the net and got caught up by the Leafs' attack. Kadri picked up the loose disc near the endboards and banked it in off the skate of a recovering Anderson.

Spezza put Ottawa on the board with 55 seconds left in the middle stanza with a breakaway shot that went low past Reimer. He then knotted it at two apiece 3:03 into the third with a left point blast on the power play.

Game Notes

The teams split the season series, 3-3...The Sens came into the game with a three-game home winning streak...Kessel recorded his 30th goal of the season. It's the third year in a row where he has tallied 30 or more.






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