Maple Leafs 4, Blues 1
TORONTO - Center Peter Holland scored a power-play goal early in the third period to end a tie and the Toronto Maple Leafs went on to defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Saturday.
It was the second win in a row for the Maple Leafs (15-15-7) and the second loss in a row for the Blues (23-14-4).
It also was Toronto's second win this season over St. Louis. The Maple Leafs defeated the Blues on Dec. 5, 4-1 at St. Louis in the other meeting between the teams this season.
Left winger James van Riemsdyk, center Nazem Kadri and right winger Michael Grabner also scored for Toronto.
Right winger Vladimir Tarasenko scored for St. Louis.
Toronto goaltender Jonathan Bernier, making his ninth straight start, stopped 39 shots.
St. Louis goaltender Jake Allen made 29 saves.
The Blues had won their two previous visits to Toronto and eight of their previous nine games at Air Canada Centre.
There was no scoring in the first period with shots on goal even at 11 each.
The Maple Leafs had the only power play in the first when Tarasenko was penalized for hooking at 17:13. Holland and center Tyler Bozak had two of the better chances for the Maple Leafs but could not connect.
The teams exchanged goals five seconds apart in the second period.
Tarasenko scored his 23rd goal of the season at 8:28 of the second, 20 seconds after Toronto center Daniel Winnik took penalty for hooking. Tarasenko fired a quick shot from the right faceoff circle after taking a cross-ice pass from center David Backes.
No sooner had the puck been dropped at center ice than the game was tied on an unassisted goal by van Riemsdyk, his 14th of the season. He pounced on a St. Louis turnover and beat Allen on a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle.
St. Louis outshot Toronto 11-8 in the second period.
The Maple Leafs scored the go-ahead goal on the power play at 3:15 of the third period on a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle by Holland, his sixth goal of the season. It came with St. Louis center Kyle Brodziak serving a crosschecking penalty.
Kadri scored his seventh goal of the season at 14:05, knocking in a feed from Grabner on a second try to increase Toronto's lead to two goals.
With each side a man short because of penalties, Grabner scored his sixth goal of the season into an empty net at 19:00.
NOTES: Blues C Patrik Berglund (shoulder) was activated from injured reserve Friday and made his season debut Saturday. He had shoulder surgery in the offseason. RW Jordan Caron was reassigned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL to make room for Berglund. ... Blues LW Jaden Schwartz (ankle) and C Steve Ott (hamstring) remained out of the lineup. ... Maple Leafs D Stephane Robidas (lower body), C Nick Spaling (upper body), G Garret Sparks (lower body), C Byron Froese (lower body) and G James Reimer (groin) did not play. Reimer played the third period against the Islanders on Tuesday, his first action since Dec. 3, but aggravated the injury and could not make his scheduled start Wednesday in Pittsburgh. ... The Maple Leafs open a three-game Western swing Wednesday in Anaheim. ... The Blues return home to play the Ottawa Senators on Monday.