TORONTO — Jordie Benn scored the go-ahead goal in his first game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, helping them come from behind to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
Benn made it 3-2 at 10:01 of the second period when he scored at the right side of the net after Morgan Rielly‘s shot rebounded off the end boards. It was also Benn’s season debut; the defenseman was activated from injured reserve Tuesday after sustaining a groin injury during the preseason.
“The puck just started coming up the wall and I saw ‘Mo’ start sliding, so I wanted to slide in,” said Benn, who scored his 26th goal in his 596th NHL game. “Just so happened I ended up in front of the net and popped it in.
“It doesn’t happen too often so I don’t really know what to do. Thank you [goodness Auston Matthews] came so I was like, OK, here’s a hug.”
Video: VAN@TOR: Matthews scores on power play in 2nd
Matthews and Pierre Engvall scored for the Maple Leafs (8-5-3), who are 4-1-1 in their past six games. Erik Kallgren, starting for the second straight night, made 28 saves. He made 19 saves in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins here Friday.
“Better feeling today,” Kallgren said. “Obviously a big win. … That was a tough loss yesterday, so to get the chance to bounce back was nice. I felt fresh, so no problem there.”
Bo Horvat and JT Miller scored, and Spencer Martin made 32 saves for the Canucks (4-8-3), who have lost four of six (2-3-1).
“We stopped playing (in the second period),” Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It happens every game, there’s a 10-minute lull, a 10-minute something. The game before it was the first 10 minutes in Montreal, the game before it was in Ottawa but we recovered. Tonight the middle 10 minutes, I don ‘t know, they get the momentum and we sort of stop playing. That’s why I called the timeout. If we slowed it down a little bit, maybe we get our composure and I thought in the last eight minutes of the second period we gained our composure again but it’s too little, too late. I can sit here all day, it’s just not good enough.”
The Canucks went ahead 1-0 at 3:41 of the first period when Horvat tipped Luke Schenn‘s point shot in the slot.
Miller’s power-play goal made it 2-0 at 12:11. He shot through traffic and past Kallgren’s glove from the top of the left face-off circle.
Matthews cut it to 2-1 on the power play at 1:46 of the second period when he took it Mitchell Marner‘s pass out of the left corner and shot over Martin’s blocker from the right hash marks.
Engvall tied it 2-2 at 6:27 when he put in a loose puck later Calle Jarnkrok swatted it to the front of the net. Martin lost his stick on the play during a scramble in front.
“I thought we did a pretty good job except for that little flurry (in the second period),” Martin said. “They’re a really good team with a great crowd and can get a lot of momentum going. I wish I had that save and put my feet on Matthews, and that could have changed things.”
Video: VAN@TOR: Benn buries loose puck for Maple Leafs lead
The Maple Leafs honored Borje Salming with a pregame ceremony. The former Toronto defenseman, who in 1996 became the first Swedish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, was diagnosed with ALS this year.
“That kind of stuff really hits you hard,” Matthews said. “For us to just see how a guy like Borje is embraced by the fans and just what he did for the organization in his time here and what he still means to the city, I think it puts a lot of things into perspective as players here. “
Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe started a lineup of Swedish players — forwards Engvall, William Nylander and Jarnkrok, defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegrenand Kallgren — to pay tribute to Salming.
“He paved the way for so many great European players to come and play here in Toronto,” Keefe said, “and knowing that he has a relationship with some of our Swedish players, it made sense to pay tribute to him in that way. “
Benn said he was told in the morning there could be a chance because he played TJ Brodie was a game time decision.
“Even in the warmup I didn’t really know, but it’s been my career to be ready when called upon, so I took advantage of it,” Benn said.
NOTES: Benn became the second defenseman to score in his Toronto debut. Joe Matte scored for the Toronto St. Patricks in an 8-3 win against the Quebec Bulldogs on Jan. 17, 1920. … With an assist, Marner extended his point streak to nine games (13 points; two goals, 11 assists) and his assist streak to nine games. … Keefe said Brodie, who took the warmup, is day to day with an undisclosed injury. … Horvat has nine goals in his past seven games. … Quinn Hughes had an assist to extend his assist streak to nine games (12 assists), the second longest streak by a Canucks defenseman (Dennis Kearns, 11 games, 1976-77).
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