Leafs Overpower Thrashers For 5-2 Victory

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored 5 times in the 2nd period on route to beating the Atlanta Thrashers 5-2 for only the 3rd win at home this season for the Leafs. The Thrashers came into the game with one of the best road records, 9-2-1 in their last 12 games. Toronto looks like they are finally getting their team to jell, having gone 5-2-0 in their last seven, despite having been blown out 7-2 by the Boston Bruins in their game on Saturday.

Both teams were pretty even through the 1st period, with Toronto outshooting Atlanta 10-9, but neither team being able to break the goose egg, so they went into the 2nd tied 0-0. Both of the goalies, Vesa Toskala for the Leafs and the Thrashers' Johan Hedberg made several great stops to keep it knotted.

Lee Stempniak opened the scoring for Toronto, snapping his 7th off a Wayne Primeau rebound early in the 2nd period. Toronto went up 2-0 a couple of minutes later when Matt Stajan collared Alexei Ponikarovsky's rebound on a three on one break. Leafs' Phil Kessel was in on the goal, nabbing a lose puck at center ice and passing to Ponikarovsky to start the play.

Midway through the 2nd, Mikhail Grabovski beat Hedberg pounding on a rebound in the crease after defenseman Ian White had sent a hard point shot at the Atlanta goalie. Ponikarovsky got 2 goals late in the period about 30 seconds apart to give Toronto a 5-0 lead and the Thrashers pulled Hedberg after the 2nd and replaced him with Ondrej Pavelec for the 3rd period. The 22-year-old Pavelec didn't allow any further scoring but faced only 6 shots by the Leafs.

Atlanta's Bryan Little broke Toskala's shutout bid at 6:48 of the 3rd, on a nice feed in front of the Leafs net by defenseman Pavel Kubina. Little's goal was the only power play marker of the game as all 5 Leaf goals were scored at even strength.

Veteran center Marty Reasoner scored his 2nd of the season less than a minute after Little's power play goal, but the Leafs shut down the Thrashers from there.

The Leafs will next play the New York Islanders on Wednesday at home, while the Thrashers heads out to Calgary to face the Flames the same night.