TORONTO -- Phil Kessel had the game-winning goal, but it was his near fight with a familiar foe that sparked the Toronto Maple Leafs to a comeback victory Saturday night. Kessel scored the second of three straight goals for the Maple Leafs in the third period as they recovered to beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 at Air Canada Centre. He assisted on the Maple Leafs third goal and almost had the first Gordie Howe hat trick - a goal, an assist and a fight - of his NHL career when he and pesky Alexandre Burrows scuffled and just about dropped the gloves late in the second period. It would have been the second fight of the season for Kessel and Burrows, who officially scrapped back on Nov. 2 in Vancouver. The two each got roughing minors in Saturdays game, with Burrows getting an additional minor for high-sticking. "(Kessel) wasnt too thrilled about all that and neither was anyone on the bench," said linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Maybe you can look at that as something that got Phil a little bit excited." At the time of the fracas, the Canucks were clinging to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Ryan Kesler in the last minute of the first. That all changed in the third period, when the Leafs broke out with three goals in the span of 4:42. "It was a one-goal hockey game and here we had an opportunity to pull a hockey game out of the fire by scoring one goal and giving ourselves a chance," said Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. "We have a break coming, and it would make everybody feel a lot better about themselves with a win here versus a loss." The win was the 11th in the past 14 games for the Leafs and their seventh straight at home. "About six games ago, we really focused in on playing well going into the break," said Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf. "We feel weve done that. Weve gotten some big wins. We wanted to get as many points as we could going into the break and we did that." The Canucks lost their seventh straight game and their 16th in their past 20. Theyve scored just 37 goals in that span. Vancouver is now 8-23-5 when scoring less than three goals in game (excluding the shootout). The Canucks are a near perfect 19-1-4 when scoring three or more. "Weve dug ourselves a pretty big hole here, but we need to look at it as a challenge when we get back," said Canucks coach John Tortorella. "I do believe well be healthier to fight our way through it. Were not dead and gone. Weve allowed a lot of teams to get back in and pass us, as far the playoffs are concerned. But we still have enough games to crawl back in." Mason Raymond and van Riemsdyk also scored for Toronto. Jonathan Bernier made 23 saves for the win. Roberto Luongo stopped 30 shots in defeat. Vancouvers lone goal came when Kesler took a pass in the high slot from Chris Higgins and flicked a weak wrist shot at the goal. Bernier tried to stop it with his blocker, but it deflected downwards into the net. The Canucks held onto that lead after two periods. "We just wanted to stick with it," van Riemsdyk said. "We know we didnt play necessarily as well as we could. We were playing a little bit loose with the puck. We got back to just cycling them down low and trying to create off that." Raymond got Toronto on the board at 7:23 when he circled the Canucks net and snuck a wrist shot past Luongo for his 16th goal of the season. The Leafs then took their first lead of the game at 10:03. On a delayed penalty call, with a sixth attacker on the ice for Bernier, Kessel snapped a shot near the Canucks blueline that found its way past a screened Luongo. It was Kessels 31st of the season. Tyler Bozaks assist on the goal was the 100th of his NHL career. Two minutes and two seconds after the Leafs took the lead, van Riemsdyk made it 3-1 when his shot at the side of the goal bounced of Alexander Edler and into the Canucks goal. It was his 24th of the season. "We got to be really happy about the last month or so," Bernier said. "Weve been playing really well. Now we just got to take some rest and hit the reset button because the real season is coming after (the break). We have to make sure were ready for the next 22 games." Notes: Canucks centre Henrik Sedin sat out his second-straight game due to injuryaLeafs centre Jay McClement didnt return after suffering an upper-body injury when he fell awkwardly into the end boards early in the second periodaThe game was a rare 6 p.m. start for a Toronto home game on SaturdayaIt was the final game for both teams before the NHL shuts down for the Winter Olympics. Alex Smith Jersey . - The Green Bay Packers got back to work on Friday without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Art Monk Jersey .Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday. http://www.officialwashingtonredskinsfootball.com/authentic-earnest-byner-jersey-womens . If there is one club built to handle an off-field controversy, its the Bill Belichick era Patriots. Even if New Englands offence stumbles a bit out of the gate, their defence can help them stay in games, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the first two weeks. Sonny Jurgensen Jersey . "Youre not really spending time to sit back and analyze what your competitions doing and things like that," Anthopoulos said. "Youre so focused on what were trying to get done." Ultimately, while the landscape around them changed with trades both major and minor, the Blue Jays did nothing before Thursdays non-waiver deadline. Rob Kelley Jersey . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. SAN DIEGO -- Years later and some 500 miles to the south, Tyson Ross still considers the San Francisco Giants to be rivals. Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night. "East Bay, man," Ross said. "That was a lot of fun. I grew up an As fan, so that rivalrys definitely there. The Giants were the rival at heart for me growing up." Ross held the Giants to four hits, struck out nine and walked one. The Padres handed Matt Cain his third straight loss. Ross (2-2) beat Cain five days after topping AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander was rarely in trouble, despite allowing a leadoff double to Angel Pagan. Ross then retired the next eight batters. He walked one. "From there he really made pitches. I thought his stuff was outstanding," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He was in a pitching duel with one of the proven National League pitchers in Matt Cain, and matched him. It was a great, great pitching duel." Pablo Sandoval was the only Giants runner to reach third base against Ross, after hitting a single leading off the seventh and advancing on a walk and a double play. Sandoval was stranded when Ross got Brandon Crawford to line to shortstop. Ross has made two strong starts after opening with two shaky outings. Black said Ross made a big mechanical adjustment between his second and third starts. "He just sort of reverted back to sort of muscling the ball with his upper body and not really driving off the mound and keeping his right foot securely against the rubber and pushing off," Black said. "When a pitcher doesnt use his lower half, his stuffs going to suffer." Ross said hes worked to keep his foot against the rubber longer and not rush his pitches. "Since Ive made that adjustment Ive been more consistent in the strike zone and had a better feel for all my pitches," he said. Cain (0-3) allowed four hits and one unearned run in seven innings while striking out eight and walking two. The Giants have played eight straight games decided by one run, their most since another streak of eight in a roww in August 1910, according to STATS.dddddddddddd "Its tough," Cain said. "Any way you lose, its not fun. Tyson threw the ball really good over there and he didnt give us many opportunities to score runs. When we had chances to do it, he (bore) down and got the job done." Chris Denorfia tripled to right-centre with one out in the first and scored on a passed ball by Hector Sanchez, who couldnt hold onto ball four to Jedd Gyorko. "We were trying to throw outside and it cut on him a little bit," Cain said. "I got to a count where I shouldnt have. I should have been a little more aggressive in going after Gyorko and getting him out." Yasmani Grandal, pinch-hitting for Ross in the eighth, homered off Juan Gutierrez, his first. Huston Street got his sixth save in six chances, but not before allowing Brandon Belts homer to right with one out in the ninth, his sixth. Street walked Hunter Pence with two outs before striking out Sanchez. After allowing Denorfias single with one out in the third, Cain retired 11 straight batters until Will Venable singled leading off the seventh. It was Cains second straight start allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. "He couldnt get a win his last two games, with the way he threw the ball," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Giving up one run, and the way he gave up the run, its a shame." NOTES: Plate umpire Jerry Layne was scratched due to an illness, and a three-man crew worked the game. Hunter Wendlestedt took over behind the plate. ... Giants C Buster Posey got the night off. ... The series resumes Saturday when Giants RHP Tim Hudson (2-0, 2.35 ERA) is scheduled to face LHP Eric Stults (0-2, 5.52). ... When the Padres go on the road next week, LF Carlos Quentin, who started the season on the disabled list with a bone bruise in his left knee, will go to extended spring training in Arizona to continue working toward his return. If he does well, itll be the last step before hes cleared to go on a rehab assignment. Black also said RHP Casey Kelly, whos rehabbing from reconstructive elbow surgery, threw a side session and is scheduled to throw another extended spring game Monday. If all goes well, Kelly will go on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso. 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