TORONTO – Phil Kessel scored two of Toronto’s four third-period goals as the Maple Leafs beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 for their sixth straight win Tuesday night.
David Booth scored his first of the season unassisted at 4:37 before Nazem notched his ninth at 5:28 to put Toronto ahead 4-1 at the Air Canada Centre. Anaheim starter Frederik Andersen was replaced by backup Ilya Bryzgalov following Kadri’s goal.
Goalie Jonathan Bernier was instrumental in Toronto snapping the Ducks’ eight-game win streak and handing them their first loss in eight games this month. Anaheim outshot the Leafs 42-27.
Ryan Kesler pulled Anaheim to within 4-2 with his 11th of the season at 8:35. But Kessel cemented the win on the power play at 15:23 before scoring his 17th goal at 18:17.
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Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul also scored for Toronto (19-9-3, 41 points), which improved to 14-7-0 at home and 10-1-1 since being manhandled 9-2 by the visiting Nashville Predators almost a month ago.
Sami Vatanen had the other goal for Anaheim (21-7-5, 47 points), which even with the loss still sports an impressive 11-4-2 road record.
Anaheim outshot Toronto 17-11 in the first and had the two lone power-play chances in the period but the Leafs had the lone goal. Bozak scored his 12th of the season at 15:12, poking a loose puck in front past Andersen.
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Anaheim held a 14-5 advantage in shots on goal in the second, but still trailed 2-1. Lupul put Toronto ahead 2-0 at 1:31 of the period with his seventh of the season, his innocent-looking one-time from near the boards eluding Andersen.
Vatanen short-handed goal at 13:13 cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1. Vatanen scored his ninth of the season when his wrist shot from the faceoff circle beat Bernier.
Toronto improved to 14-0 when scoring first and 13-0 after leading through two periods. The Leafs also haven’t lost to Anaheim since Oct. 21 2008, a 3-2 shootout decision.
Both teams are on the road Thursday. Toronto visits the Carolina Hurricanes while Anaheim is in Montreal for the fourth game of its five-game road trip.
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