The presence of Borje Summing lifts the Maple Leafs to a come-from-behind victory over the Canucks

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Borje Salming has been a positive influence on Maple Leafs on so many Saturday nights.

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Dropping the puck towards the center ice and just heading for this one, he was able to put the building back up and ultimately give his team the victory.

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The Leafs looked like they might fall for the second night in a row with their beloved defense in attendance, but it was the Swede who helped Larry to a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. did.

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Head coach Sheldon Keef hoped the brave appearance of Salming, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, would cheer them up at some point in the back-to-back home games.

“Having an alumni and seeing the reactions of the fans and the reactions of the players makes me feel part of the family, part of the legacy,” Keef said. “You can see how important and influential the players are to our city.

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“Borge is clearly a legend here. Seeing his name (retired number 21 banner at Scotiabank Arena) on Legend Row or here at this stage of his life is 1 It’s one thing, Leaf Fun’s times are different, but there’s more.

“It’s not just about honoring Borgier’s legacy. It’s all part of their own legacy and you want to be remembered.”

Keef’s starting selection of six iconic Swedish players was announced at goal as he and his family emerged from the ice after watching a moving video commemorating 20 years at the Gardens. Had it been done, it would have been picture perfect. times. Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau, who was once Salming’s roommate, played his part for the first showdown, sending Oliver Ekman-Larson out for the ceremony drop with William Nylander.

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That Tre Kroner vibe didn’t play out until halfway through the game when Calle Jarnkrok and Pierre Engvall finished a proper forecheck with the help of Timothy Liljegren.

But at first they were against Toronto’s revamped fourth line. Engvall lost the draw, the Canucks took control, Bo Horvat eluded his Justin Holl, and Luke Schenn’s shot.

Michael Bunting received a retaliatory penalty after Nylander and Denis Malgin missed the break, which JT Miller converted on-screen.

In Toronto, Keef broke out combos of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and Jon Tavares and Nylander, but there was initially no momentum until Matthews buried Marner’s feed under Spencer Martin’s crossbar.

After Engvall’s goal, another press saw defenseman Jordie Benn jumping for his first goal as a leaf as he replaced the injured TJ Brodie.

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Toronto’s penalty killer worked too hard in the final 22 minutes of the game, overcoming three minors.

Given the choice of going back-to-back with Eric Kalgren, facing Matt Murray a bit ahead of schedule as his groin injury heals, or risking raw rookie Keith Petruzelli, Keef would bet that Calgren still had fuel and the new line would produce a 5-for-5. 5 Violation.

The night before, Kalgren conceded a weak winning goal after doing a credible job against the Penguins. Murray is ready to face his old team in Pittsburgh on Tuesday when he won two Stanley Cups.

Ilya Samsonov, who played brilliantly in place of Murray last month, is still out with a knee injury.

Calgren, who has 28 saves, now has two wins in eight games, three of them in overtime, but he’s not the only reason the Leafs lost three games this week.

Penalty killing and power plays are brawling in addition to even strength scoring in dry spells. That means the defensive blunders that are still prevalent in their game could hurt even more.

“The numbers stay the same (.888 save percentage), but just watching him move and react makes him look more confident and stronger. ‘ said Keef.

“I will never think about that goal[by Pittsburgh’s Brock McGuinn]. ”

lhornby@postmedia.com