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Mike Babcock addressed the media after his team’s 2-1 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, completing the rare California sweep and improving the team’s record to 14-6-0 on the season (9-1-0 on the road). With the win, the Leafs took over top spot in the league standings with an NHL-best +18 goal differential.


On gutting out a win in a back-to-back situation:

It was our fifth game in eight nights, and you know when you look at the schedule and it’s like that, you don’t know if you are going to have much opportunity. But I thought our guys stayed with it here tonight. I didn’t think our energy was like what it’s been, but we found a way to win the game.

It’s good for Sparks, too. Ideally, now he can relax and earn some confidence and feel good about himself and play well in the national league.

On John Tavares’ effort on the backcheck preceding the overtime goal by Morgan Rielly:

I just think he does it right. Lots of night in the league, you don’t have your best stuff, but as long as you compete and work hard, things are going to go your way. Obviously, it was a good play by him and a real good play by Mitchy and Riels to finish it off. We needed the points and it was good we got them.

On the shot blocks by Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev that saved goals in the third:

I thought it was Gardiner’s best game tonight — maybe of the year. Z is always steady for us. Our top four does a real good job for us that way.

On what led to Gardiner having his best game of the season:

It’s a great question. Don’t know the answer to that. He was obviously feeling real good out there. He was smooth, he was skating, he was moving the puck. He was physical and determined. He was a good player.

On what has enabled the team to build and keep its confidence over a sustained stretch of games:

It’s a real good question. Partly it’s that we have some real good veterans in Hainsey, Tavares and Marleau, and then we just try to be steady on the rudder. We think we have a chance to be a real good team over time. We just need to keep building. But the league is very, very good. Each night you play a team, you look at the team before the game each night and you think, “How are we going to win?” But you just find a way to do things right. We’ve gotten good goaltending. Pretty good special teams. We’re finding ways.

On getting the rare California road trip sweep:

I’ve had lots of good teams come out here and not do it. One of these teams always gets you back-to-back and usually they get you. Tonight we were real fortunate to win the hockey game. Like anything, you just try to march ahead. We’ve got a big game when we get home. We’ll fly home tomorrow and try to get rested and then skate and get prepared for the next game.