TORONTO — Jason Blake knocked home a bouncing puck
with less than 5 minutes remaining against his former team, and the Toronto
Maple Leafs held on for a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday
night.
Dwayne Roloson stole a win the last time New York visited
Toronto, stopping 58 shots on Nov. 23. The Islanders were a little unfortunate
this time as Blake's winning goal came when the puck hit fellow forward Mikhail
Grabovski's skate in the corner and squirted in front.
Francois Beauchemin and Ian White also had goals for
Toronto (10-13-7).
John Tavares, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, had
both goals for the Islanders (11-13-7) for the second straight night, but
neither effort was enough for a win. New York was beaten 6-2 at Philadelphia on
Tuesday.
The 19-year-old Tavares, an Ontario native, has 15 goals
in 31 games.
Roloson wasn't tested nearly as much during this visit to
Toronto. Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson was hoping for an early goal to keep him
from feeling "invincible" in the building.
He got his wish after Matt Moulson took the first of two
minor penalties in the opening period.
Beauchemin one-timed Tomas Kaberle's pass through traffic
that beat Roloson between the legs at 6:04. It was Toronto's first power-play
goal in five games.
The Leafs went ahead 2-0 just 1 second after Moulson
stepped out the penalty box following his second penalty. Ian White scored his
fifth goal of the season by wiring a shot over Roloson's right pad at 14:40.
That provided a seemingly comfortable lead over the
Islanders, who finished a stretch in which they played 14 of 17 on the road.
Toronto's Vesa Toskala wasn't tested much through 40
minutes, although he made a couple nice saves on Kyle Okposo in the second
period.
The game tightened after the Islanders were given a
lengthy 5-on-3 period early in the third period. Tavares scored his first of the
night by scoring from in close at 1:32.
He pumped his left fist after netting a goal against his
favorite childhood team for the first time. It didn't take long for the second.
Tavares tied it 2-2 at 11:54 on another Islanders power
play, tapping home a nice pass from Okposo. All four of his goals in his
two-night spurt were scored from about 5 feet away from the net. He leads NHL
rookies in goals.
The Maple Leafs had a power-play opportunity shortly
after, but couldn't get a shot past Roloson. Blake, who played for the Islanders
from 2001-07 before signing with Toronto, scored his fifth of the season at
15:55.
The Maple Leafs are 6-2 since their loss to the
Islanders last month, and have moved within five points of eighth place in the
Eastern Conference.
Notes
Leafs D Jeff Finger was a healthy scratch for the
second straight game. … Toronto D Luke Schenn played his 100th NHL game. …
Tavares got caught out for a shift that lasted more than 2 minutes in the second
period.