Step one of two in "Reimer 101" is over, up next, San Jose Tommorrow Night..................... here is a recap of the Leafs win in LA tonight
LOS ANGELES — The calendar says January, but the Maple Leafs are playing like it’s October again.
Toronto triumphed a third straight game on Monday at the Staples Center, squeezing out a 3-2 win over the Kings, their longest streak since opening the season 4-0 and creating a buzz among their long-suffering fans. The game ended with the Leafs killing a Dion Phaneuf penalty with an intense goal-line stand on two crease jams.
But because they followed that by playing so poorly up to New Years, those banked points were drained quickly. With most of the Eastern Conference idle, the Leafs moved into a three-way tie for 11th. But until they pass the likes of Ottawa and Florida and get within 10 points of eighth, there’s no sense getting too excited.
Nikolai Kulemin’s 16th goal of the season on great transition after an Alec Martinez giveaway, capped another timely contribution from the first line with Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur adding assists. Toronto nursed the lead the finsl 15:02 of the third period to give James Reimer his third win in four decisions and coach Ron Wilson career win No. 599.
Just like Friday’s game in Atlanta, the Leafs spotted the opposition a goal and then came to life, though not to the extent of a 9-1 lead.
Colby Armstrong, showing no vision problems with a swollen eye and an unfamiliar half-visor, laid a perfect drop pass at the KIngs’ line to Darryl Boyce. He raced in and snapped a glove-side shot past Jonathan Quick, who had just stoned Tyler Bozak.
Just 34 seconds later, Bozak fought off a check as he buzzed Quick and then fed it back through the legs of two Kings to Phil Kessel from a tight angle. Then it was Reimer’s turn to suffer some misfortune in front as the Leafs over-loaded one side lost track of big Michal Handzus, who tipped a Martinez shot by skate and stick, through the five hole and just over the line.
The Kings took the early lead when Scarborough native Wayne Simmonds brushed off Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf and ended an eight-game point drought, one of the reasons the Kings had dropped five straight before rebounding to beat Columbus on the weekend. Simmonds had friends and family in the rink and an extended family watching at home for the rare game against his hometown team.
Mike Komisarek didn’t know whether to go to the penalty box or break into a home-run trot in the first period when he swung at a puck in the corner and it went straight up and over the white netting. The delay of game call didn’t cost Toronto, but it ensured the Leafs were on their heels much of the period, without a shot on goal until nearly halfway through the period.
No one demonstrated that more than Phaneuf, who took the wrong angle on Simmonds coming out of the corner and watched him blow right by and stuff it past Reimer. The latter might be down to his last start, depending what Wilson wants to do for Tuesday’s game in San Jose. He has given up just eight goals in 13 periods. With Jean-Sebastien Giguere poised to return Thursday in Phoenix, Jonas Gustavsson needs a start to stay fresh as the Leafs don’t play again until Saturday against Calgary.
The Kings are also in a traffic jam in their conference with four points separating eight teams and L.A. holding on to eighth by virtue of regulation wins.
After going so long without wins on consecutive nights, eight sweeps in 77 tries, the Leafs are in position to do it twice in less than a week.
It was Canadian Pride Night at the Staples Center. Canadian Air Force Sgt. Cindy Scott sang both anthems and Congressional Medal of Honour winner Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta dropped the puck between captains Phaneuf and Dustin Brown.
If Reimer has another standout game tonight and if he also plays tommorrow and does the same, he should not be sent anywhere..
