Johnsson's feat of scoring three times in one period was a rarity - former Leafs centre Tyler Bozak was the last Toronto player to accomplish it when he scored three against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 21, 2015 - and it put the Buds in the driver's seat as the second period began.
LEAFS' SCORING BALANCE EVIDENT AS LEIVO EXTENDS TORONTO'S LEAD
The Buds weren't as dominant in the second frame when it came to goal-scoring, but with goalie Garret Sparks and the Leafs' defense keeping the Flyers off the scoresheet through 40 minutes, they didn't have to be.
That said, more offense is still good whenever it comes, and for Leafs winger Josh Leivo, it came at 11:07 of the second for his third goal of the season:
Video: PHI@TOR: Leivo buries Marner's feed to extend lead
Leivo's goal no doubt will boost his confidence, and it underscores how much scoring depth and balance the Buds have in their arsenal.<br><strong><em>TAVARES ADDS TO SCORING OUTBURST, NETS TEAM-LEADING 15TH BEFORE SECOND ENDS</em></strong><br>Leafs centre John Tavares has been a huge contributor in his first year with Toronto, having an impact at both ends of the rink. And Tavares added to his team-leading goal total when he netted his 15th of the season with 2:50 remaining in the second period:
Video: PHI@TOR: Tavares finds twine on broken play<br>Winger Mitch Marner created space in the offensive zone, and Tavares swooped in and acted like a predator in firing it past Flyers netminder Anthony Stolarz (who replaced Pickard after Johnsson's hat trick), and the Leafs led by six entering the third period. To say the Flyers looked deflated would be kind, but it would also be true they looked that way well before Tavares scored.<br><strong><em>SPARKS STANDS STRONG IN NET, REGISTERS FIRST SHUTOUT OF YEAR FOR BUDS</em></strong><br>Having a healthy lead in front of him certainly helped Sparks Saturday, but the 25-year-old still had to turn aside 35 Flyers shots to earn his fourth win of the season. Sparks doesn't get a wealth of playing time while serving as the understudy for Frederik Andersen, but he's played well when he's received an opportunity, and the shutout - the second of his NHL career and first since Nov. 30, 2015.
All in all, it turned out in his favour - and in the Leafs' favour - in what was pretty much a one-sided throttling by the Leafs.