Takeaways - Leafs at Ducks - 11/16/18

BUDS NET FIRST GOAL, CONTINUING PATTERN SET ON CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP
Playing the final game of a three-game California road swing Friday, the Leafs continued a positive streak of scoring the first goal of the contest when forward Patrick Marleau netted his fourth goal of the season (and the only goal of the first period) at the 5:42 mark:

    Video: TOR@ANA: Marleau uses his skate to open the scoring<br>Marleau registered his third goal in his past eight games by getting to the front of the net and having his skate redirect a shot by blueliner Jake Gardiner past Ducks goalie John Gibson. And that first goal was important, as Toronto has won all eight games in which they'd scored first heading into Friday's showdown.

DUCKS EVEN SCORE IN SECOND, BEFORE SCORELESS THIRD FRAME LEADS TO OT
The Leafs were clearly the more dominant team through the first 35 minutes of this game, but the Ducks began pushing back in the final five minutes of the second period and continued that push through the third period. Anaheim got the game-tying goal from forward Pontus Aberg with 1:25 remaining in the second, and the Ducks outshot Toronto 15-10 in the third period.

    However, Leafs netminder Garret Sparks was focused and up to the task of keeping his team in the game, and neither he nor Gibson allowed a goal in the final 20 minutes of regulation time.<br>That took the game to 3-on-3 action, and after a couple of rushes at both ends of the ice, the Leafs got the game-winner from D-man Morgan Rielly, who registered his ninth goal of the season as he finished off a 2-on-1 rush with winger Mitch Marner:

Rielly's goal extended his point streak to five consecutive games and gave him five goals in his past seven games. But credit has to be due to the backchecking efforts of centre John Tavares, who worked like a madman to get back to Toronto's zone after a failed play in the Ducks' zone, and he prevented a golden scoring opportunity before the puck went down to the other end of the ice.

    Other credit has to go to Sparks, who stopped 38 of 39 shots to post his third victory of the season. He got a lot of help from his shot-blocking teammates in front of him, but Sparks did what he is needed to do - give his team a chance to win - and the Leafs now return to Toronto on a three-game win streak as they prepare to take on the Metropolitan Division-leading Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena Monday. It's likely Frederik Andersen will be back in the Buds' net for that game, but the way Toronto is playing right now, they'll get solid goaltending regardless of who's in net, and they're going to limit their opponent's scoring chances and high-quality zone entries.<br>You don't make it to the top of the league - where Toronto sits after this victory - without being capable of playing a smart defensive game and an opportunistic offensive game. And, to the delight of Leafs Nation, that's where the Buds are right now.