Andersen helps Maple Leafs to shootout win against Flames

TORONTO -- Frederik Andersen made a season-high 47 saves, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in a shootout at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.

"It was fun, a lot of emotions and a lot of pucks," Andersen said. "I felt good. There was a little screen on their goal (in regulation) but I think we did a good job of boxing out and letting me find the puck."
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said of Andersen, "I thought he was good. When you look at the game by both teams, whether this means anything or not, you're attempting like 70 shots, it's ridiculous almost. But the neutral zone was clogged up and there weren't a lot of quality chances until the end."
WATCH: [All Flames vs. Maple Leafs highlights]
Morgan Rielly scored for the Maple Leafs (18-10-1), who won for the 10th time in their past 14 games.
Mark Giordano scored, and Mike Smith made 28 saves for the Flames (14-12-2), who have lost three straight games and are 1-3-1 in their past five.
"We played a good game, we did exactly what we wanted to do, play with energy and put a lot of pucks to the net," Giordano said. "We're happy with that, if we play like that we're going to get two points more nights than not."
Auston Matthews scored in the first round of the shootout, and William Nylander scored in the fourth for Toronto.
The Maple Leafs are 2-1 in shootouts this season after going 1-8 last season.

"It's a huge difference when you add up the points if you win all of them or lose all of them so it's nice obviously to come away with a win," Andersen said.
Rielly tied it 1-1 at 18:47 of the second period when he put a wrist shot from the left-wing boards over Smith's glove. Just before the goal, Smith had to scramble back to the crease when the puck hit a stanchion and bounced in front of the open net, leaving the Flames out of position defensively.
"You've got to stay with it," Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. "If you look at it, we haven't been getting any bounces. If you look at their goal, it was just a dump-in, [it] hits an extension, our guys are scrambling in spots to get it and they just put a shot to the net. You just have to take those. But if you keep working and doing the things we were doing, sooner or later you are going to get those bounces."
Giordano scored a power-play goal to make it 1-0 for the Flames at 10:37 of the first period on a shot from the point.

Goal of the game

Rielly's goal at 18:47 of the second period.

Save of the game

Andersen's save on Michael Frolik at 19:52 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Smith's save on Jake Gardiner at 1:10 of overtime.

They said it

"I thought in the third period, that was the period I'm most happy about. I think our team carried the play in the third in a tight game and made plays under pressure. We had looks right until the last buzzer really. Overtime is fun, 3-on-3 back and forth and then we lose in a shootout but I thought we played well tonight." -- Flames captain Mark Giordano
"Give them credit, they played good. We just beat them the other night (Nov. 28) and any way you look at it, we just got four of a possible four points in [the two games] and it's hard to beat the team the second time. It's always way harder, I don't care what anybody says. They'd dropped a couple in a row where they gave up big numbers so you knew they were going to be dialed in and their goalie was going to be dialed in but in the end, our goalie was better." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock

Need to know

Flames forward Jaromir Jagr did not play because of a lower-body injury and is day to day. Gulutzan said it is a recurrence of the injury that kept Jagr out against the Maple Leafs on Nov. 28. … Matthews won 8 of 11 face-offs (73 percent). … Nazem Kadri had a game-high seven shots for Toronto.

What's next

Flames:At the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, SNW, NHL.TV
Maple Leafs: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)