Swedish contingent leads Maple Leafs past Wild in wake of Börje Salming’s passing | CBC Sports

Calle Jarnkrok scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Minnesota 4-3 on Friday and spoiled Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s return to the net.

Mitch Marner scored first for Toronto to stretch his point streak to 15 straight games and extend the longest run in the NHL this season. Zach Aston-Reese and William Nylander each had a goal and John Tavares had two assists for the Maple Leafs, who started their four-game trip Wednesday by stopping New Jersey’s 13-game winning streak.

Kirill Kaprizov scored on a power play and Matt Boldy had the second goal for the Wild, who welcomed newly acquired right wing Ryan Reaves to their heavy third line and kept up the offensive momentum from a 6-1 win Wednesday over Winnipeg.

Fleury missed the previous three games with an upper-body injury. He appeared a little rusty, especially in the middle of the first period when Aston-Reese pivoted around defenceman Matt Dumba and sneaked in a bad-angle shot that zipped between the goalie’s pads. Aston-Reese looked pleasantly surprised the puck went in during the celebratory scrum with his linemates.

The 20-year veteran Fleury was out of position on Jarnkrok’s winner. He made a big blocker save on a shot by Mark Giordano that ricocheted in front for an easy knock-in of the rebound.

With 6:37 left, Nylander’s slap shot from the slot zipped past Fleury’s stick side to put the game away and elicit a roar from the many Maple Leafs supporters in attendance.

The Wild wore their green-and-yellow alternate jerseys — the throwback nod to the old Minnesota North Stars — on their customary day-after-Thanksgiving matinee and gave their fans plenty to shout about. Kaprizov’s tip-in of a rebound of Joel Eriksson Ek’s shot gave him a team-high 12 goals. Boldy’s one-timer off a pass from Alex Goligoski was a clinic in how to work a rush.

Connor Dewar had a breakaway in the closing minute of the second period that Murray stonewalled with his right pad, preventing the Wild from tying the game before the break.

Toronto improved to 8-1-3 in November despite a long list of injuries, with defencemen Jordie Benn, T.J. Brodie, Timothy Liljegren, Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly currently sidelined.

WATCH | Legendary Maple Leaf Börje Salming dies at 71:

Former Toronto Maple Leafs star player Börje Salming dies at 71

Legendary Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Börje Salming has died at the age of 71 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, earlier this year.