This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Toronto • Leafs sniper Phil Kessel found his scoring touch and the Anaheim Ducks lost their composure.
Riding Kessel's three-goal performance, Toronto recovered from a poor start to defeat Anaheim 4-2 Tuesday night and deny the Ducks a club-record eighth straight win.
It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance for the Leafs, who were booed off the ice after a woeful first period that saw them outplayed, outshot 6-2 and outscored 1-0. Kessel struck twice and Toronto scored three unanswered goals in the second period to climb out of a 2-0 deficit.
"The first period we were awful tight," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. "We couldn't execute a 20-foot pass if the guy was wide open. … We were tripping over one another the first period."
Toronto got its forecheck going and Kessel started the comeback with a power-play goal at 7:44 of the second period. The Ducks began to unwind and the Leafs led 3-2 going into the third.
Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau was left lamenting the rapid turnaround.
"We played really good for the first 30 minutes of the game. I mean, as good as we can play," he said. "But I think the big thing is we just lost our composure for 10 minutes. And we've got to get it back."