Maple Leafs 4, Devils 2
TORONTO -- Clarke MacArthur picked up the game- winner and Nazem Kadri stretched his point streak to five games as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Monday night at the Air Canada Centre.
MacArthur extended his point streak to five games when he put a Kadri feed past Johan Hedberg on Toronto's (14-9-0) fourth power play of the night.
Andrei Loktionov's tripping penalty, which put the Maple Leafs on the power play, was the Devils (10-7-5) third offensive zone penalty of the game.
Phil Kessel picked up the insurance marker less than two minutes later putting home a 2-on-1 feed from James van Reimsdyk for his fifth of the season. It was Kessel's first goal on home ice this season in Toronto's 10th home game.
New Jersey has now lost all five games without Martin Brodeur. The Devils had won their previous three games in Toronto.
Toronto won back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 16 and Feb. 18.
The Maple Leafs entered the third period trailing 2-1, but it took only 39 seconds for Jay McClement to tie the score at 2-2 off a Patrik Elias turnover.
McClement now has four points in five games.
Marek Zidlicky's pair of second-period goals gave New Jersey a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Trailing 1-0 after one, Zidlicky beat a screened James Reimer for his second goal of the season tying it at 1-1.
Then six minutes later, Zidlicky picked up a Frazer McLaren turnover at the New Jersey blue line and finished off a give-and-go with Ryan Carter for his second of the night and third of the season.
Both Zidlicky goals came with Toronto's fourth line of McLaren, David Steckel and Colton Orr on the ice.
Ironically, following the morning skate, Maple Leafs senior vice president and general manager, Dave Nonis, credited the play of McLaren as one of the reasons he was able to deal Mike Brown to the Edmonton Oilers.
The line finished a combined minus-6.
Kadri opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the season. Kadri tried to center a pass for MacArthur, but it hit Hedberg's pad and trickled in.
Kadri now has four goals and four assists in his last five games. He now has a team-leading 23 points.
NOTES: Brodeur missed his fifth straight game due to a back injury. ... The Devils placed Bobby Butler on waivers Sunday with the hopes of sending him to the AHL, but the Nashville Predators claimed Butler on Monday. ... The Maple Leafs sent Brown to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional 2014 fourth-round draft pick. ... Nonis dispelled rumors defenseman Mike Komisarek had asked for a trade over the weekend saying, "What he said is that, if it's in the best interest of the team, he wouldn't stand in the way (of a trade), but his preference is to get back in the line-up." Komisarek has played just four games this season and has been a healthy scratch since Feb. 2. ... Toronto forward Matt Frattin missed his 10th game with a knee injury. ... Toronto signed Josh Leivo to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday. Leivo was a third-round pick of the Maple Leafs in the 2011 draft.
