Maple Leafs shut out Bolts for crucial Atlantic Division win

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The Maple Leafs are tightening up their defence — and making the entire Atlantic Division closer as a result.

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Led by another big effort from netminder Dennis Hildeby, they frustrated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Monday at Scotiabank Arena. Though four other teams are between them and the first-place Bolts and Boston Bruins, the gap is just two points. The Lightning have now lost four straight when it once seemed like they would pull away from the pack.

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As Hildeby marked his first NHL shutout on 29 saves, the Leafs have brought their goals-against down considerably, two or less in the past six contests. Hildeby got off to another fine start, continuing to fill in for the two netminders on injured reserve — Joseph Woll, who was on a pretty good roll himself, and Anthony Stolarz. After Toronto missed a few cracks at an empty net and the Lightning hit the post, Auston Matthews finally clicked at the buzzer.

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Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point were back in the Lightning lineup from their respective bruises and created all kinds of problems for the Leafs, but Hildeby hung on through 15 first-period shots.

After both Leafs power-play units generated little on an early chance – coach Craig Berube says he’s considering redistribution to two balanced groups – Morgan Rielly added a late first-period goal. John Tavares dropped to Easton Cowan, whose first pass to Rielly pinballed around as the defenceman was knocked to the ice, but he stayed with it to steer the puck past Jonas Johansson.

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Close call for Jarnkrok in returned to lineup

The Swedish stopper, however, made a huge glove save on countryman Calle Jarnkrok, who found himself alone in the slot. That would’ve helped Jarnkrok’s case to stay in the lineup after coach Craig Berube brought him back after four games in place of Nick Robertson.

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A Tavares bullet rang the bar behind Johansson right after Jarnkrok’s miss, his arms half-raised thinking he’d scored. In the third period, Johansson got the thin upper shaft of his stick on a certain Matthews goal, while Tavares drew a hooking call the Leafs couldn’t convert.

Toronto is learning to get through its problematic second periods, but did take its first penalty, a trip by Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Things got nastier earlier in the third, when Gage Goncalves ran Dakota Mermis and was given a major and the boot, while Bobby McMann received a match penalty for a retaliatory high stick on Oliver Bjorkstrand. Dakota Joshua boxed the Bolts’ Max Crozier, all in the same scrum.

Lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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