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Leafs Beat Bruins 8-2

Bryan McCabe had a goal and an assist during a four-goal second period to lead the resurgent Toronto Maple Leafs to an 8-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov also scored in the second as Toronto turned a tight game into a rout. Antropov finished with two goals.

Maple Leafs center Mats Sundin played his 1,300th career game, becoming the NHL's 46th player to reach that mark, and scored his team-leading 30th goal. He has 553 in his career.

Toronto, which looked to be buried outside the Eastern Conference's tight playoff chase three weeks ago, won for the seventh time in 10 games. The Maple Leafs entered the night six points out of the final playoff spot.

Peter Schaefer and Phil Kessel had the goals for Boston, which lost its third straight after a season-high six-game winning streak.

The game was tied 1-1 after one period before the Maple Leafs chased Boston goaltender Tim Thomas in the second.

Ponikarovsky scored when his shot caromed in off the right post, making it 2-1 at 1:17. McCabe's wrister from the left circle ricocheted off Boston winger Chuck Kobasew's skate and past Thomas just 3:31 later.

The Bruins goaltender then allowed a pair of weak goals before being pulled with 8:10 left in the period.

Stajan scored on a tough angle, slipping a shot between Thomas' pads from along the goal line outside the right post, to make it 4-1.

Antropov's 25th of the season, a wrist shot from the right circle, made it 5-1. Thomas came out and slid kind of awkwardly to his side as the puck slipped under his body.

After Thomas was replaced by Alex Auld, he headed straight for the runway and down the ramp that leads to the dressing room before returning to the bench late in the period.

Darcy Tucker had a power-play goal in the third, Antropov added his second, and Sundin scored with 4:55 to play.

Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead on Schaefer's goal 11:40 into the game, but Toronto tied it on Jason Blake's power-play score 3:02 later.

This program aired on March 7, 2008. The audio for this program is not available.

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