4. Carrick continues offensive push by Leafs, puts Toronto back ahead.With Rielly out of the lineup, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock employed some new defensive pairings, and the duo of rookie Travis Dermott and veteran Connor Carrick performed exceedingly well together. Carrick made the most of his increase in ice time by continuing Toronto's scoring roll, putting a puck through traffic from the point and past Anderson for his third goal of the year and a 4-3 Leafs lead at 8:58 of the third.
All-in-all, the Leafs got three goals in a 6:05 span of the third to reestablish a lead, and that type of offensive push was exactly what the Blue & White needed.
5. Andersen holds fort, preserves victory as Buds snap losing streak, head home for showdown with white-hot Avs.The Leafs outshot the Senators in all three periods, including 9-6 in the third period (and 33-18 overall), but Toronto had to withstand a late Ottawa push (including a 6-on-5 man advantage for the last 1:36 after the Sens pulled Anderson for the extra attacker). Fortunately, Andersen was solid between the pipes and helped the Leafs lock up the win, ending their losing streak and giving them confidence as they head home to face off against the white-hot Colorado Avalanche Monday.
The Avs beat the Leafs 4-3 in overtime during their Dec. 29 showdown, so Toronto will have lots of motivation to avenge the defeat. However, Colorado has won nine straight games - and has never trailed for a single second in that span - so the Buds will have to put forth a nearly-ideal effort to derail the Avalanche's win streak and build a win streak of their own.