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Sports

Leafs beat Senators 4-2 to preserve playoff hopes

Associated Press
Published | Updated

OTTAWA – Tyler Bozak had a power-play goal 5:42 into the third and Nikolai Kulemin scored late in the period as the Toronto Maple Leafs preserved their slim playoff hopes with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Phil Kessel reached 30 goals for a third year in a row and Nazem Kadri also scored for Toronto, which remained two points behind Carolina for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs, who have three games left to play, closed to three points behind the New York Rangers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

James Reimer, who was named the NHL's rookie of the month on Friday, made 23 saves. He has been credited with each of Toronto's last 15 wins.

Jason Spezza scored two goals for Ottawa, his second tying the score 2-2 at 3:03 of the third period.

Bozak restored Toronto's one-goal lead moments later. He was in the right side of the crease and got credit for his 14th goal when Joffrey Lupul's shot from the slot struck him on its way past Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson.

Anderson finished with 26 saves as the Senators remained tied with Florida for last in the East.

Ottawa's Zack Smith was given a boarding major at 11:44 of the third for a hit from behind that sent Maple Leafs defenseman Matt Lashoff flying headfirst into the boards behind the Toronto net.

Kulemin scored his 29th goal at 18:40 to the delight of the thousands of Maple Leafs fans on hand at Scotiabank Place.

Kessel, who had 30 goals last season in his Toronto debut, scored 12:23 in to become the first Maple Leafs player to score 30 in consecutive seasons since former captain Mats Sundin did it four in a row from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

Kessel got past Senators defenseman Filip Kuba and put his own rebound past Anderson 12:23 in to reach 30 goals for a third straight season.

Kadri made it 2-0 with his third goal 4:32 into the second.

Spezza scored on a breakaway with 54.5 seconds left in the second to pull Ottawa to 2-1.

He tied it with his second straight goal — his 19th of the season — when he drove a slap shot past Reimer from the left side for with 10 seconds left in Mikhail Grabovski's tripping penalty early in the third.

Spezza scored his 18th goal on a breakaway with 54.5 seconds left in the second.

NOTES: Kessel, who had a career high 36 goals with Boston in 2008-09, is one of seven NHL players who have scored at least 30 in each of the last three seasons. Calgary's Jarome Iginla has had 10 straight 30-goal seasons. ... Reimer, who turned 23 on March 15, went 9-4-1 last month with one shutout, a 2.87 goals-against-average, and a .913 save percentage. ... Senators C Stephane Da Costa made his NHL debut.