BOSTON — A couple of fluky goals left the Toronto Maple Leafs in danger of ending 2014 with a terrible loss.
As it turned out, the road-weary Leafs managed to end the calendar year on a high note.
“We needed it. That’s for sure,” Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said after his team captured a 4-3 shootout decision over the Boston Bruins for only their second win in seven games. “The one thing that we’ve tried to preach to our group is that there has to be a stop sign in what was happening.
“We were playing too loose, and we can’t continue to play no-touch hockey, and that’s what we felt we were playing. We brought that to our players and showed them some of the things that we felt needed to be corrected.”
Center Nazem Kadri beat goaltender Tuukka Rask in the fifth round of the shootout for the difference as the Leafs ended a two-game losing streak in the fifth game of a seven-game road trip.
The Bruins, coming off their best game of the season, a win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, had two goals go in off Toronto players to erase a 3-1 deficit in the second period.
The scoreless third period and overtime were fun to watch.
“I think it was probably an entertaining game from the fans’ standpoint when it got to overtime, but it wasn’t that entertaining for coaches,” said Carlyle, whose seat in Toronto has been hot for some time.
Bruins center David Krejci had a chance to extend the shootout but lost control of the puck and didn’t get off a shot against Jonathan Bernier (25 saves). The Leafs won the shootout 2-1.
“We got back in the game, but it’s hard when you start on your heels,” Bruins center Patrice Bergeron said.
Center Leo Komarov, playing his first game since sustaining a concussion Nov. 29, right winger Phil Kessel and left winger James van Riemsdyk scored as Toronto took the 3-1 lead in the second period.
“I thought as a group we played really well,” Bernier said. “They had two lucky bounces, but other than that, I thought we controlled most of the game.”
The Bruins (19-15-4) got second-period goals from center Carl Soderberg, Krejci and defenseman Torey Krug, Soderberg adding an assist for his fifth point in two games.
“You hope that you can get that goal to give you that win, especially in regulation,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “But at the same time, we also have to look at our start, which wasn’t very good.”
Despite going 3-1-1 in their past five games, the Bruins were 5-6-3 in December.
Kessel, still getting booed by the local fans every time he touches the puck because he left the Bruins seven years ago, registered his 500th NHL point with the goal and his 200th Maple Leafs assist on van Riemsdyk’s goal. He was a dominant figure all night, the No. 1 star, even on the road.
Soderberg scored on the power play 17 seconds into the second period. Just 31 seconds later, Kessel fed van Riemsdyk on a two-on-one with Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara caught up ice, and Toronto went in front 2-1.
Kessel, with his 18th goal of the season and his first in seven games, then scored on the power play to make it 3-1 at 9:45 of the second.
The Maple Leafs (21-14-3) had one goal disallowed, and Kessel was stopped by Rask (18 saves) on a penalty shot in the closing minutes of the first period.
Toronto right winger Joffrey Lupul left the game with a lower-body injury, Carlyle said Lupul would return to Toronto for evaluation.
NOTES: Toronto G Jonathan Bernier improved to 7-9 in career shootouts, while Bruins G Tuukka Rask fell to 16-17. … C Patrice Bergeron and LW Milan Lucic, who missed Boston’s win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday due to undisclosed injuries, returned. … Toronto C Leo Komarov was back after missing a month due to a concussion. “He’s looked good for a week and a half now from our standpoint,” coach Randy Carlyle said at the team’s morning skate, which was held at Northeastern University because the Celtics were playing a day game at TD Garden. … Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan joined the team for Game 5 of a seven-game road trip caused by the World Junior Championship using Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. … The Leafs play at Minnesota on Friday. The Bruins host the Ottawa Senators in a Saturday matinee. … Bruins RW Loui Eriksson played in his 600th NHL game.