Gabriel Landeskog scored two goals, including the deciding tally early in the third period, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
Toronto opened the scoring at 3:33 of the first period when Darren Raddysh scored his first goal of the season on a slap shot. Colorado answered late in the period with two quick strikes. Brock Nelson tied the contest at 16:09 with a wrist shot, and Landeskog gave the Avalanche the lead 1:17 later with a backhand goal.
Devon Toews pushed Colorado ahead 3-1 at 3:31 of the second period on a snap shot. Toronto pushed back late in the frame when Easton Cowan scored on a wrist shot at 19:31. Jack Roslovic tied the score 3-3 for the Maple Leafs with a backhand at 4:11 of the third period, but Landeskog answered just 51 seconds later with his second goal of the night on a wrist shot to restore Colorado's lead. Artturi Lehkonen added an insurance goal on a wrist shot at 17:15, and Martin Necas sealed the result with an unassisted empty-net backhander 15 seconds after that.
Mackenzie Blackwood earned the win in net for Colorado by stopping 28 of 31 shots. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves on 27 shots for Toronto. Neither team produced on the power play, with the Avalanche finishing 0 for 2 and the Maple Leafs going 0 for 1.
The victory was the second in a row for the Avalanche, lifting their record to 11-6-2. Toronto dropped to 8-10-2 after losing its fourth consecutive game. The two clubs split their two regular-season meetings, each winning by a 6-3 score.
Both teams continue their schedules on Thursday. The Avalanche visit the Ottawa Senators, while the Maple Leafs host the Minnesota Wild.
