HAINSEY PUTS LEAFS UP FIRST, BUT PANTHERS ANSWER BACK WITH TWO GOALS BEFORE END OF FIRST

Coming off a morale-boosting 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday, the Maple Leafs wanted to put together a modest, two-game win streak by beating the Florida Panthers Friday. The Panthers had dropped three straight games entering Friday's action, and they did themselves no favours early in the first by allowing Toronto defenceman Ron Hainsey to score the game's first goal, just 1:49 into the first period:

Video: TOR@FLA: Hainsey wires home one-timer from blue line

Hainsey's slap shot from the point that found its way through traffic and into the net became a common scoring method for the rest of the period, but in those early moments, Hainsey's goal - his fourth of the season - gave the Leafs a boost against an Atlantic Division rival they'd already played twice this season (and posted a 1-1-0 record in those two tilts). But Florida held the visitors to only four shots in the first period, and they amped up the heat on Leafs netminder Garret Sparks; as a result, Florida tied the game at a goal apiece at 9:02 of the first, then netted the go-ahead marker at 14:59 to take a 2-1 advantage into the second frame.

Toronto came out of the gate looking like they were going to give the Panthers a run for their money, but for the remaining three-quarters of the first, Florida dominated (outshooting the Leafs 13-4 in the period) and earned their lead.

LEAFS TRAIL FIRST MIDWAY THROUGH OPENING FRAME, BUT KADRI'S GOAL EVENS SCORE BEFORE INTERMISSION

The Maple Leafs wanted to end their two-game losing streak, and to do it against the NHL-best Lightning (and their league-best 19-4-0 home record entering Thursday's tilt), Toronto would need a robust and careful effort. Giving up the game's first goal to the Bolts wouldn't help in that regard, but that's what happened when Tampa forward Brayden Point scored his 30th of the season at 9:48 of the opening period.

But exactly two minutes later, Leafs centre Nazem Kadri tied things up by picking up the rebound off a Kasperi Kapanen shot on Bolts netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy and backhanding the puck into Tampa Bay's net for Kadri's 10th goal of the season and a 1-1 game heading into the second period:

Video: TOR@TBL: Kadri slips backhander past Vasilevskiy

Kapanen was one of Toronto's best players Thursday, utilizing his speed and smarts to generate scoring chances. And Patrick Marleau, who picked up the secondary assist on Kadri's goal, would go on to give the Leafs their first lead of the night midway through the second period.

As the Maple Leafs stepped off the ice after practice Wednesday - and before the team headed out to Florida for games against the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday and the Florida Panthers Friday - both the coaching staff and the players were resolute in finding improvement in their game and ending a two-game losing streak.

LEAFS SCORE GAME'S FIRST TWO GOALS, ALLOW THREE BEFORE END OF SECOND

Neither the Maple Leafs nor the visiting Colorado Avalanche scored in the first period Monday, but the middle frame featured five goals scored - three of them by the Avs.

The first two, however, were scored by the Leafs. The opening goal of the night was netted by blueliner Igor Ozhiganov, who snapped a shot through traffic and past goaltender Semyon Varlamo at 2:14 of the second:

Video: COL@TOR: Ozhiganov roofs goals from the point

Ozhiganov's goal was his third of the season, and the first of two quick goals by Toronto in the period. Seconds after a disallowed Leafs goal by winger Par Lindholm, the Leafs went up 2-0 at the 3:28 mark on Kasperi Kapanen's 15th goal of the year:

Video: COL@TOR: Johnsson connects with Kapanen for tally

Unfortunately for the Scotiabank Arena crowd, the Leafs' lead wouldn't survive the end of the period. The Avalanche netted three goals in eight minutes of the second frame - including a shorthanded marker by forward Carl Soderberg at 14:29 - and suddenly, the home side was on its heels as the third period began.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed forward Trevor Moore to a two-year contract extension, which carries an average annual value of $775,000 ($750,000 in 2019-20, $800,000 in 2020-21).

AFTER GIVING UP GAME'S FIRST GOAL, LEAFS STORM BACK IN SECOND WITH TWO

The Maple Leafs have had difficulty generating offence at home of late, and although they dominated the shot counter in the first period against Boston Saturday - outshooting the Bruins 15-9 in the opening frame - it was the visitors who entered the second period with a 1-0 lead (on a goal scored with only 1:39 left in the period).

However, Toronto continued to plug away in the second period, and they netted their first goal against Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask at 7:37 of the second when winger Andreas Johnsson's shot trickled through Rask's legs and into Boston's net:

Video: BOS@TOR: Johnsson banks in goal off defender

Johnsson's goal was his 10th of the season - and less than two minutes after he scored, the Leafs took advantage of their first power play of the night when winger Mitch Marner ripped a shot high and over Rask for his 17th goal of the year:

Video: BOS@TOR: Marner rings in power-play goal off the post

Marner's goal put Toronto ahead, but not for long: five minutes and 17 seconds after the Leafs took the lead, the Bruins tied it on a goal by forward Sean Kuraly; and with only 15 seconds left in the second period, Kuraly made a slick pass to sniper David Pastrnak, who snapped it past Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson for his 26th goal of the year.

Giving up a late goal in both the first and second frame was the difference between the Leafs entering the third with a lead and Toronto trailing. But because of the lapses in focus and structure, it was the latter situation facing the Buds.

The Maple Leafs had no time to celebrate Thursday's victory over New Jersey - they were back at their west-Toronto practice facility Friday afternoon, readying themselves for a home game Saturday night against the Boston Bruins. Besides being a division rival, the Bruins are, like the Leafs, 7-3-0 in their past 10 games, meaning Toronto will have to play at its peak if they wish to win their second in a row.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has acquired forward Gabriel Gagne from Ottawa in exchange for forward Morgan Klimchuk.

WITH TWO GOALS FROM TAVARES, LEAFS FINISH FIRST PERIOD IN CONTROL WITH 3-0 LEAD

The Maple Leafs were in New Jersey looking for a victory Thursday, and trying to turn around a trend that's seen them lose three of their past four games. And in the opening period, the Buds were focused and determined - outshooting the Devils 15-8 - and scored the only three goals of the frame.

The first goal came off the stick of defenceman Ron Hainsey, whose slap shot from the point beat Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid at 4:30 of the first:

Video: TOR@NJD: Hainsey nets opener with heavy slap shot

AFTER SCORELESS FIRST PERIOD, PREDS BREAK OUT WITH TWO GOALS IN SECOND

Toronto was playing the first game of the second half of their regular season, and their final game of a four-game home stand at Scotiabank Arena. And after a scoreless first period with the Predators, the Leafs found themselves trailing 1-0 at 4:08 of the second frame after blueliner Mattias Ekholm scored his fifth goal of the year - a power play marker that beat goalie Michael Hutchinson on a shot from the point through traffic.

The Leafs believed they'd tied the score when centre Auston Matthews tapped a brilliant backhanded pass from winger Andreas Johnsson into an open Preds net, but Nashville challenged the scoring play as offside, and the on-ice officials agreed with them and Matthews' goal did not count.

That gave the visitors an opportunity to extend their lead before the second intermission, and that's what Predators D-man P.K. Subban did when his slap shot from the blueline beat Hutchinson for Subban's fourth goal of the season and a 2-0 lead. Toronto had a number of quality scoring chances despite only registering 14 shots through two periods - for instance, Matthews hit the post early in the first period - but netminder Pekka Rinne was solid when he had to be, and fortunate on a few occasions, and the Buds started the third frame trailing by a pair.