National Hockey League
Toronto 5, Colorado 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Mike Leggo
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Pierre Racicot
Attendance: 19238

TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs say they are having fun.

Winning does that for a team, and the Maple Leafs won for the fourth time in five games when they scored four power-play goals and one short-handed marker Tuesday in a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Maple Leafs right winger Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, who scored two of the power-play goals against his former team, called it "a fun night."

"Our power play was clicking," said Parenteau, who has six goals on the season. "We've been playing well. ...

"I feel like I have the confidence of the coach, which is a big thing for a player. I feel like he wants me out there."

A short-handed goal by center Leo Komarov at 3:21 of the first period, his sixth of the season, gave the Maple Leafs a good beginning as they ended Colorado's three-game winning streak.

It was the sixth goal of the season for Komarov.

"I thought we had some good momentum at the start of the game," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "I think we had a good start. It was just sloppy. We gave them two good scoring chances short-handed. We were on the power play then. You cannot win on the road if your power play and penalty-killing is not playing some good hockey."

Center Tyler Bozak had a power-play goal and two assists, and left winger James van Riemsdyk also scored a power-play goal for the Maple Leafs (6-9-4). Center Peter Holland added three assists.

Defenseman Erik Johnson scored for the Avalanche (7-10-1).

James Reimer, starting in Maple Leafs' goal for the eighth time in the past nine games, made 34 saves.

"The puck must look like a beach ball to him," Holland said of Reimer.

"Guys are confident in him," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said of Reimer. "They're happy for him. He's a good man, he's helping our team win, and you've got to give him credit."

Reimer added, "We're not making mistakes, we're not missing assignments, and when someone does, there's always someone there to correct them. We're playing really well as a team right now, and we're really playing for each other. That's what makes it fun."

Avalanche goaltender Reto Berra stopped 22 shots in his fifth straight start. After allowing four goals, he was replaced in the third period by Calvin Pickard, who stopped three of the four shots he faced.

"When you give up four power-play goals and one short-handed goal, that's never good," Avalanche defenseman Nate Guenin said. "We'll watch some tape and figure it out. It wasn't very good, but we'll learn from it."

Parenteau gave Toronto a 2-0 lead at 18:37 of the first, scoring from the slot on a pass from Holland. Colorado left winger Blake Comeau was serving a high-sticking penalty.

The Maple Leafs took a 3-0 lead on Bozak's goal third goal of the season at 10:12 of the second period with Comeau serving an interference penalty.

Johnson scored his fourth goal of the season for Colorado at 12:04 of the second period on a shot from just inside the blue line and through a screen. It beat Reimer on his stick side and cut the lead to 3-1.

Parenteau scored his second goal of the game at 11:21 of the third period to extend Toronto's lead to 4-1. It came with Colorado defenseman Francois Beauchemin serving a high-sticking penalty.

The Leafs led by four goals after van Riemsdyk scored his seventh goal of the season at 15:59 of the third with Colorado left winger Andreas Martinsen off for interference.

"They made nice plays," Avalanche right winger Jarome Iginla said. "We had some breakdowns, but you have to give them some credit, too."

NOTES: Toronto RW Brad Boyes, who was a scratch in the three previous games, returned to the lineup on Tuesday night. C Nick Spaling, who has been dealing with undisclosed minor injuries, did not dress. Spaling is expected to return soon. ... The Avalanche were without LW Gabriel Landeskog, who served the second of a two-game suspension for a hit to the head on Boston LW Brad Marchand on Thursday. ... C Chris Wagner made his debut for Colorado on Tuesday after being claimed off waivers on Sunday from the Anaheim Ducks. ... C John Mitchell (oblique) was out of Tuesday's game. He played in the two previous games after missing four games with his injury. ... The Maple Leafs' next game will be Friday when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes. The Avalanche will play the fifth game of their seven-game trip on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Toronto
Erik Johnson 1 Points Tyler Bozak 3
Erik Johnson 1 Goals P.A. Parenteau 2
Matt Duchene 1 Assists Peter Holland 3
N/A Power Play Goals P.A. Parenteau 2
N/A Short Handed Goals Leo Komarov 1
Reto Berra .846 Save Percentage James Reimer .971
Reto Berra 22 Saves James Reimer 34
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Colorado 35 1 0-4 1-5 10 33
Toronto 30 5 4-5 4-4 8 27
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .286 after a loss.
  • Colorado will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .455 after a loss.