Slow and steady is Leafs’ winning formula With injured star Auston Matthews out of the lineup for a second straight game and also for Saturday's rematch in Boston, the Leafs rally twice against the Bruins for their third straight victory before heading to Beantown for the second game of a rare weekend home-and-home series, TSN’s Kristen Shilton reports.

Kristen Shilton TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter Follow|Archive

The Maple Leafs overcame two deficits against the Bruins on Friday before Patrick Marleau scored the overtime winner to lift Toronto 3-2 over Boston in the first game of a rare weekend home-and-home series. It was Toronto’s third consecutive win, tied for their longest winning streak of the season, and moved them to 11-7-0 on the year. The Leafs are now 2-0 with star centre Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) out of the lineup. He will miss his third straight game Saturday in the rematch.

TAKEAWAYS

Slow and steady

Perhaps it was knowing that they were playing each other again in just 24 hours, but there wasn’t much action from either team in the opening 30 minutes. In the final 30, the Leafs would have to come from behind twice to secure a victory. Toronto started the first and second period with good push possession and pressure, but it tapered off in a hurry and there was no real offensive rhythm established anywhere on the ice. The Leafs’ transition game was solid as usual but didn’t really get dangerous until midway through the second period and into the third. For just the sixth time over their first 18 games, the Leafs ceded the night’s first goal. Patrice Bergeron set up by what might have been the Bruins’ best possession shift of the game. Toronto once again got caught trading too much chances off the rush but got back to their cycle game in the third to create some solid opportunities early. When David Pastrnak put the Bruins up 2-1 late in the final frame off the Leafs’ inability to clear the zone, Toronto’s urgency in the waning minutes is what ultimately got them to overtime.

Just James

With Matthews missing his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury, the Leafs have been counting on their veterans to step up. Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau played major roles on Wednesday, and on Friday it was James van Riemsdyk’s turn. He hadn’t produced a multi-point game since the Leafs’ season-opener against Winnipeg (one goal, one assist), but when Toronto was hard-pressed for offence, van Riemsdyk found his touch. He scored both the Leafs’ goals in regulation, and both from his go-to spot in front of the net. The second one came with exactly one minute left in the third period to tie it 2-2 and force overtime. Van Riemsdyk’s power-play marker was his third of the season, tying him for the team lead, and he’s tied for the team lead in power-play points with nine. It hasn’t been an easy eight-game run for van Riemsdyk and his usual linemates Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner. They were separated for much of the last three weeks and each player did a stint on the fourth line, but with Matthews out they’ve been reunited and the chemistry is emerging again. Marner finished with two assists on the night as well in what was his third multi-point game of the season. That line also led the way in possession time for the Leafs, hovering at around 60 per cent.

Special struggles

Going into Friday’s game, Toronto was 2-for-18 with the man advantage, dating back to Oct. 26 against Carolina. Their first three power plays against Boston were fruitless, and the Leafs seemed to give up as many quality short-handed chances as they were generating their own. Van Riemsdyk’s score on their fourth power play put the Leafs at 3-for-23 over their last nine games. Both sides traded chances on the power play through the final 12 minutes of the game (five penalties in total were assessed), and it was the Leafs’ penalty kill that lost the duel. With one second left on a penalty to Josh Leivo, the Leafs couldn’t clear the puck and David Pastrnak capitalized to give Boston a 2-1 lead late in the third period. The Leafs’ penalty kill had been shaky of late, operating at 72.5 per cent over Toronto’s previous eight games. On Friday, they finished 4-for-5 and have now allowed a power-play goal in five consecutive games.

Milestones to share

Blueliner Nikita Zaitsev skated in his 100th NHL game on Friday and had one of his strongest showings of the season. He was smart with the puck and countered the Bruins’ speed with a good stick and body positioning along the boards. He finished the night with one assist. Marleau’s overtime goal put him at sixth all-time in game-winners, tied with Jarome Iginla. Frederik Andersen turned in a solid performance against Boston, making 33 saves for a .943 save percentage, tied for his third-best of the season. He has stopped 68 of 72 shots in his last two games. Andersen moves to a perfect 9-0-0 all-time in his career against Boston; the Bruins are one of only two teams the netminder has never lost to (he’s 5-0-0 against Detroit).

Next game

Toronto travels to Boston for a rematch on Saturday, with Curtis McElhinney starting in goal.