Bozak, Kadri score in shootout to lift Maple Leafs to 3-2 win over Devils
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri scored in the shootout, and Garret Sparks made 25 saves to lead Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
P.A. Parenteau and James van Riemsdyk scored in regulation for the Maple Leafs. Kadri converted in the fifth round of the tiebreaker for the win.
Lee Stempniak and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Devils, and Corey Schneider stopped 36 shots. Mike Cammalleri tallied in the shootout.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Leafs went 1 for 5 on the power play while the Devils scored twice on five chances with the man advantage.
Roman Polak took a cross-checking penalty 39 seconds into the game that led to the opening goal from Stempniak, who tipped a John Moore point shot past Sparks to make it 1-0 just 45 seconds into Polak's penalty.
Toronto had 10 of the next 11 shots on net after Stempniak scored on the first shot of the game and wound up on the board with a fluke goal from Parenteau.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parenteau one-hopped a harmless wrister from just outside the blue line that fooled Schneider over the glove hand to tie the game 1-1 with 5:36 left.
Schneider was forced to bail his team out late in the first as Toronto kept the pressure on in New Jersey's zone. The Leafs outshot the Devils 17-7 in the first and 25-17 through two periods.
Matt Hunwick nearly had his first of the season when he rang a point shot off the post behind a screened Schneider 6 minutes in and Byron Froese almost had his first career NHL goal when he was sprung on a breakaway only to be stopped by Schneider.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toronto took a 2-1 lead at 2:12 of the second when van Riemsdyk tipped Dion Phaneuf's shot through Schneider's legs from the top of the crease while on the power play.
With Froese serving a holding-the-stick penalty, Palmieri responded midway through the second with a one-timer from the top of the face-off circle to make it 2-2.
Neither goalie was busy to start a slower-paced third. New Jersey had just three shots on Sparks midway through the period while the Leafs could only come up with one on Schneider.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NOTES: This was Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello's first game against the Devils, the club he spent the previous 28 seasons in charge of before joining Toronto this past summer. ... Phaneuf was playing in his 400th game with the Leafs. ... Adam Henrique collided with Sparks in the second period. He left with an undisclosed injury and did not return.