Phil Kessel is a reason to celebrate in himself
Alright, so all wasn’t lost on the Toronto sports scene Friday night. Fresh off a win in Tampa Bay, the Leafs made it two in a row and points in three straight with a 6-4 victory over the Panthers. Niklas Hagman scored twice, giving him six in the past four games, and Phil Kessel added his seventh and eighth in his 12th game with Toronto.
Early on, this one looked like another long night for The Monster, who coughed up two goals in the first 2:04. Kessel scored just past the midway point of the first to cut it to 2-1, then tied things at four in the third period just 13 seconds after a Dmitry Kulikov power play goal had given Florida the lead just over four minutes in. Hagman’s second was the winner and Matt Stajan added an empty-netter to put it away. Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored and added three assists for the Leafs.
Everyone loves a trip to Florida, and it’s all the better if you’re a hockey team and you come out with a pair of wins. Shockingly, the Leafs actually have Saturday night off, returning home to face the Sabres Monday at the ACC.
