Maple Leafs double-up Flames

In Calgary, ,The Flames held a 2-1 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs coming out of the first period on Sunday night.

The Maple Leafs evened the game at 2-2 in the middle frame and John Tavares and Auston Matthews scored in the third period to put a bow on a 4-2 Toronto win.

“It definitely wasn’t our best,” Tavares said. “I think we looked a little sluggish at times, but I really like the way we stuck with it and had to respond and find a way to play a harder type of game to really earn more pucks, win some more races, and really get to their net.”

The Maple Leafs are 6-0-1 in their seven.

Michael Hutchinson made 32 saves in the win.

In contrast, the Flames are going nowhere.

“In order to keep up, your team has to play at a pace and you have to be able to execute at that pace and you have to check at that pace, and for some of our players, that’s difficult,” Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said.

They are 2-8-0 in their last 10 matches.

Joakim Nordstrom and Andrew Mangiapane scored back to back for Calgary in the opening frame to give them a 2-1 lead.

“You’ve got to be able to make plays still when games are close in the third period,” Calgary’s Mark Giordano said. “They had a push there. We have to have our own push, and we have to be confident to make plays under pressure when games are tight.

“A couple breakdowns. That’s a good team over there. There’s a reason they are where they are, and you could tell they were coming out with the mentality to win the game in the third. We have to have that same mentality when games are tied or you’re down, whatever the case, you have to have that confidence.”

Ryan O’Reilly had scored to give the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead.

“We defended really well and played a quicker game in the third, which I think allowed us to take control,” Tavares said. “There’s going to be nights when you don’t have your best, but you’ve got to work and compete and find ways to get your game going, and I think we did that.”

Alex Galchenyuk tied the game, 2-2, in the second period with his first goal with Toronto.

“It means a lot,” Galchenyuk said. “It definitely felt good getting the first one, and most importantly we got the win. It wasn’t our best, but we stuck with it and found a way to win, which is great.”

David Rittich made 26 saves in the loss.