{allcanada} Bozak scores 2 as Maple Leafs hand Canucks 8th straight loss

 

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TORONTO (AP) Tyler Bozak scored twice and had an assist to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-3 victory over Vancouver on Saturday night, handing the Canucks their eighth straight loss.

Nazem Kadri, Mitch Marner, Nikita Soshnikov and Jake Gardiner also scored as the Leafs won their third straight. Frederik Andersen stopped 23 of 26 shots before being replaced by Jhonas Enroth, who had three saves in his 5:08.

Derek Dorsett, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin scored for the Canucks, and Ryan Miller finished with 36 saves. Vancouver is 0-7-1 while getting shut out four times since beating Buffalo on Oct. 20.

A wild third period saw six players dealt game misconducts, including both Andersen and Miller.

The opening period was all Toronto. The Leafs fired 14 consecutive shots over a span of about 14 minutes and scored the game's first two goals.

Kadri opened the scoring with his sixth of the season and third in the last three games. Nikita Zaitsev circled the net before firing a pass through the slot to Kadri, who had an almost empty cage to shoot at with Miller just a touch late scrambling to his left.

Bozak upped the lead to 2-0 about four minutes later. James van Riemsdyk got the play started for Toronto, swiping the puck from Jannik Hansen in the Vancouver zone. After dishing off to Leo Komarov, van Riemsdyk got it back quickly and found Bozak, whose shot just trickled over Miller's left pad.

Bozak's shot marked the 14th straight on goal for Toronto. Shots favored the Leafs 15-3 at that point and 17-7 overall in the first 20 minutes.

Dorsett brought the Canucks within one 26 seconds later though, ending Vancouver's lengthy shutout spell (almost 160 minutes). The Canucks, with just 16 goals in 11 games coming into the night, had been shutout in consecutive games as well as four of their previous five outings.

Miller, who entered the game 32-18-3 against Toronto, came up with several fine stops to keep the Canucks close. Perhaps the best one came on an Auston Matthews late in the opening frame, as the 19-year-old's backhand attempt was stopped following a nifty set up from fellow rookie William Nylander.

Bozak added his second of the game on a power play late in the second. After Gardiner's point shot was stopped by Miller, Marner scooped it up and found Bozak, falling to his knees, in the slot. He just got the shot off to beat Miller for the 3-1 lead.

It was Bozak's 15th career multi-goal game and the seventh for a Leafs player this season.

Vancouver again got one back quickly, this time just 1:20 later.

The Canucks capitalized when the Leafs failed to get a puck out along the wall. Defenseman Philip Larsen spotted Sedin open in front and he beat Andersen with the first goal for the captain since Oct. 23.

Marner beat Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson to the front of the net and depositing a feed from Bozak less than five minutes into the third with his fourth of the season.

The action turned nasty after Soshnikov scored his first of the season and made it 5-2 for Toronto.

Morgan Rielly's hit on an unsuspecting Hansen at center-ice drew the initial ire of the Canucks' bench, their fire intensifying when Kadri delivered a blind-side shoulder to Daniel Sedin's shoulder and head area. Sedin actually fired the puck as he was hit and beat Andersen. He then fell to the ice and remained down for a couple of moments.

Hansen immediately charged at Kadri, the two briefly dropping gloves. Kadri's hit will likely be reviewed by the league's discipline office and could result in suspension for the center who is considered a repeat offender.

Sedin went to the dressing room briefly before returning.

The physicality continued after Gardiner added another goal for the Leafs, Dorsett and Komarov fighting off a faceoff in the Canucks' zone. An enraged Dorsett was eventually dealt a game misconduct.

Rielly and Alex Burrows squared off seven seconds after that. A short while later Martin came after rookie Canucks defenseman Troy Stetcher. Miller came from his crease to defend his teammate, Andersen racing down from the other goal to get in on the action.

Miller was dealt a fighting major and exited the action in favor of Jacob Markstrom. Enroth replaced Andersen, who was given a penalty for leaving his crease.

Nine fighting majors were ultimately handed out in the final period of play.

NOTES: Matthews was pointless in five straight games heading into the evening. He hit a pair of posts, later ending his point drought with a third-period assist.

UP NEXT

Canucks: At the New York Islanders on Monday night in the fourth game of a six-game trip.

Maple Leafs: Host Los Angeles on Tuesday night in the middle game of a three-game homestand.

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