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TORONTO (AP) — Garret Sparks had a lot of thoughts before his first start of the season earlier this month. He didn’t have a chance to overthink his second outing.The backup goalie made 33 saves in place of the injured Frederik Andersen Anaheim Ducks T-Shirts Womens , Kasperi Kapanen scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 Monday night for their fifth straight win.Sparks allowed six goals on 31 shots in a wild 7-6 overtime triumph in Chicago on Oct. 7 against the Blackhawks — the team he grew up cheering for as a kid in the nearby suburb of Elmhurst. He was much sharper against Los Angeles in his first home appearance for the Maple Leafs since April 6, 2016.“When you’re starting the season on the road, in Chicago, Stan Mikita night … there’s a lot of stuff buzzing around,” Sparks said of the game at United Center. “It was a really emotional day for me.”Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock announced Sparks as the game’s starter ahead of No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen after the morning skate. Toronto then announced about 2 1/2 hours before puck drop that Andersen has a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, with Eamon McAdam getting recalled from Newfoundland of the ECHL on an emergency basis.“I wasn’t anticipating playing when I went to bed (Sunday),” said Sparks, who was the AHL goalie of the year last season. “But that’s the nature of this position — having to be ready and being able to perform when you’re called upon.”Babcock said after the game he expects Andersen to start when the Leafs host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner also scored to help Toronto win for the sixth time in seven games. Auston Matthews and Jake Gardiner each added two assists.Matthews leads the NHL in scoring (10 goals, six assists) and is just the fourth player in league history to start a season with seven consecutive multi-point games, joining Mario Lemieux (1992-93), Kevin Stevens (1992-93), Mike Bossy (1984-85) and Wayne Gretzky (1983-84).“I’m just trying to play hockey, have fun and get those opportunities and try to cash in on them,” Matthews said. “Fortunate they’ve been going in. … The most important thing is we’ve been winning games.”Ilya Kovalchuk scored for the Kings, who have lost four of six (2-3-1). Jack Campbell stopped 21 shots for Los Angeles.The Maple Leafs were back home after a perfect 4-0-0 road trip where they outscored their opponents 23-15, including a 4-2 victory over defending Stanley Cup champion Washington on Saturday.Toronto got on the scoreboard just 46 seconds in against the Kings when Kapanen banked a shot off Campbell from behind the net for his third goal of the season. The play started with Matthews fighting off Kings defenseman Drew Doughty before finding Gardiner at the point.“(Campbell) was scrambling a bit,” said Kapanen, adding with a grin: “It looks good on paper when you get at least one shot.”Kapanen has all eight of his points (four goals Anaheim Ducks Hoodies Womens , four assists) since moving into Toronto’s top-6 alongside Matthews and Marleau during the Chicago game — occupying a spot originally pegged for William Nylander, who remains in Sweden as his contract impasse drags on.“He can skate fast, he’s got skill,” Matthews said of Kapanen. “Every game we’ve been able to develop more and more chemistry.”The Kings, coming off a 5-1 loss at Ottawa on Saturday, nearly tied it moments later, but Tyler Toffoli’s shot pinged off the post and stayed out.The Leafs made it 2-0 with 20.5 seconds left in the first on their second power play of the period when Marleau was given far too much time and space at the side of Campbell’s net before sliding his first in off Doughty.The Kings cut the deficit in half at 3:38 of the second when Matthews mishandled a puck in front his own net before Alex Iafallo fed Kovalchuk, who beat Sparks between the pads for his second. The goal for the 35-year-old Kovalchuk, who spent the last five seasons playing at home in Russia’s KHL, was his first against Toronto since Dec. 6, 2011, when he was with New Jersey.The Leafs regained a two-goal lead at 8:28. Zach Hyman stepped around Doughty before absorbing an attempted sandwich hit by the defenseman and Dion Phaneuf, leaving the puck for John Tavares to find a wide-open Marner at the side of the net to tap in his third goal and 11th point.Tavares also now has 11 points, while Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, who was held off the scoresheet Monday, has 13.“It seemed like a lot of bounces were going their way,” Doughty said. “It’s not like we played like crap or anything. I thought it was a pretty even game.”Sparks made a nice blocker stop on Toffoli right before Marner’s goal. He then stopped Jeff Carter on the second of two Kings’ power plays — dropping Los Angeles to 0 for 21 on the season.Toronto capped the scoring at 7:45 of the third when Matthews fed Kapanen on a 2-on-1 rush and he beat Campbell, who made his fifth straight start in place of the injured Jonathan Quick Anaheim Ducks Hats Womens , on a backhand upstairs for his fourth.NOTES: McAdam got recalled after the Leafs lost both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard to the waiver wire right before the season, while Kasimir Kaskisuo of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies was injured over the weekend. Jeff Glass, Kaskisuo’s backup with the Marlies, is on an AHL-only contract. … Kings starting G Jonathan Quick missed his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury.UP NEXTKings: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.Maple Leafs: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday night. WASHINGTON — After taking a few days off for the holidays, the Washington Capitals will look to keep their early season momentum going Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes in a Metropolitan Division matchup.The Capitals have won seven of eight and 14 of their last 17 to take control of the division, including a 4-0 victory over Ottawa on Dec. 23, and are winning thanks to contributions from every line. While Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov are the big scoring names, unheralded players such as Lars Eller and Brett Connolly have also stepped up to make Washington’s offense more lethal.“The coaching staff has a lot of faith in every single guy,” Connolly told The Washington Post. “We do have a lot of good depth and that’s definitely worked in our favor.”Article continues below ...Washington has 14 players with at least 10 points and five players with at least 10 goals, a testament to the kind of balance the Capitals are hoping to achieve from the top to bottom lines.“When you get guys down the lineup contributing, old, slow defenseman contributing, I think that’s good for team-building,” defenseman Matt Niskanen told reporters after Sunday’s game.With the Capitals coming off the holiday break, expect starter goaltender Braden Holtby to get the start between the pipes against the Hurricanes. He earned the victory in a wild 6-5 overtime contest when the teams faced off Dec. 14. In his career, Holtby is 13-6-0 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .935 save percentage with two shutouts in 19 appearances against Carolina.The Hurricanes were victorious heading into their break, earning a 5-3 triumph over Boston on Sunday to end a brief, two-game skid. As evidenced by its 15-15-5 record Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys , consistency has been an issue for Carolina. The Hurricanes continue to be carried by Sebastian Aho, who leads the team in goals (14) and assists (24), and is coming off a four-point effort in the win over Boston.“When you score, you get more confidence. That’s how it goes,” Aho told the team’s website. “I’m feeling pretty good right now, but it’s not just me.”Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour was pleased with his team’s effort in the comeback win against Boston, and knows that a similar performance is needed if his team is to best the Capitals.“You could see from the start they were engaged, even when we got down, and it was nice to see,” Brind’Amour told reporters. “The level of engagement, really for 60 minutes, it was there.”The Hurricanes may turn to Petr Mrazek in net for Thursday’s contest after he picked up his sixth win of the season against Boston. Carolina has a way to go before it gets to Washington’s level of sustained excellence, but the Hurricanes are hoping to start with a win over the division leaders.“We can come back now feeling a little better,” forward Teuvo Teravainen said. “It’s still not where we want to be, but it’s getting better.”