DALLAS — Soft D in the Big D.That’s all that was required for the Toronto Maple Leafs to go down hard in their first game following the National Hockey League all-star break. If there has been a worst first period by the Leafs in the Mike Babcock era, God knows it doesn’t come to mind quickly. Toronto gave up five goals and scored just one themselves in the opening 20 minutes, and never recovered. The Stars put two more on the board, marking the first time since April 3, 2009, against Philadelphia that the Leafs allowed five goals in the first period. The Leafs had a little more pep, getting goals from Soshnikov at 4:19 and Marner, now the Leafs scoring leader with 41 points, at 10:25.

Source: National Post February 01, 2017 05:02 UTC