Five Takeaways - Leafs vs. Predators - 02/07/18

1. Leafs aim to build win streak, get off to good start with game's first goal.Toronto was coming off a 7-4 win over Anaheim Monday in the first game of a five-game home stand, and the Predators entered the night on a three-game win streak and with a sterling record of 8-1-1 in their past 10 contests. So it was little surprise two talented, well-coached squads took much of the first period to feel out each other and not take an abundance of risks.

That said, the Leafs were persistent in their drive toward Preds goalie Pekka Rinne, and it paid off with 3:54 left in the opening period when winger James van Riemsdyk blasted a shot into Nashville's net for the game's first marker and his 21st goal of the season. At the other end, Buds netminder Frederik Andersen turned aside all eight shots he faced, and Toronto finished the frame with a 1-0 lead.

2. Kapanen extends Leafs' lead with shorthanded marker midway through second frame. The Leafs outshot Nashville 11-8 in the first period, but the Predators were a more determined group in the second, firing 19 shots at Andersen and limiting Toronto to 11. However, it was the Leafs who were first to produce offence in the second: winger Kasperi Kapanen intercepted a Preds pass on a Nashville power play, and raced down the ice on a partial breakaway; he didn't score as he got in close on the Predators' goal, but rather, pulled up, was patient with the puck, and shot it toward the goaltender's five-hole.

The shot went off Rinne's stick and through his legs at 9:38 of the period, giving Kapanen a shorthanded goal and his fourth goal of the year. It was the second goal in five games for Kapanen, who has proven to be a valuable member of the Buds' fourth line and an aggressive and speedy penalty killer. On this night, he utilized that speed perfectly and finished off the play with his shooting skills.
3. Preds push prior to second intermission, cut Toronto's advantage in half with late-second-period goal.Nashville's pressure on the puck increased as the second period unfolded, and they got on the scoresheet with 1:50 left before the second intermission when centre Colton Sissons netted his sixth of the year. The play came on a shot from the slot after Preds winger Pontus Aberg's shot hit van Riemsdyk in the back of the helmet, and the puck came to Sissons, who one-timed it past Andersen for the visitors' first goal of the evening and a momentum boost that carried over into the third.

4. Nashville continues applying pressure, generates game-tying goal less than one minute into third period .The Predators began the final regulation period just as focused as they were in the latter half of the second, and it didn't take long for them to generate the game-tying goal: winger Viktor Arvidsson reacted almost instantly to a Leafs puck turnover in their own zone, and blasted it past Andersen for his 18th goal of the season at the 25-second mark.

Nashville continued their offense-minded onslaught through the first seven minutes of the third, outshooting Toronto 9-1 to start the period. Andersen's dynamic play was the chief reason the visitors hadn't taken the lead by that point, as his teammates were on their heels consistently and were chasing the puck more often than not.

5. Andersen stands strong, turns back surging Preds to force overtime.The Preds relentlessly attacked the Leafs' zone in the final regulation period, outshooting Toronto 16-6 in the third and nearly scoring the game-winner a handful of times. Fortunately for Leafs fans, Andersen was at the top of his game, making a slew of tremendous saves - including a lunging pad save on Nashville centre Ryan Johansen as he tried a wraparound scoring play - to keep Toronto in the hunt and send the contest to overtime.

Nothing was settled in the fourth period, so the two sides required a shootout to determine a winner. And although it took seven rounds of shooters, van Riemsdyk netted the game-winner, while Andersen stopped Arvidsson to pull out the win and give the Buds a two-game win streak. It was another game in which Toronto didn't always play their best, but found a way to win. And that's something that will please Leafs head coach Mike Babcock.