Big night for the kids

TAMPA - See, the Toronto Male Leafs don't need Phil Kessel to score every game to be successful.

On a night when the Maple Leafs exploded for seven goals - the second time they have done so in the past three outings - Kessel was held goal-less, but Toronto thrived. It was a big night for emerging centre Tyler Bozak, who scored his third and fourth goals of the year, and an even bigger evening for rookie Joe Colborne who connected for his first NHL goal.

After setting up linemate Matt Frattin for his first NHL marker Nov. 19 in a lopsided win over the Washington Capitals - the kids teamed up once again, this time with Frattin the playmaker for Colborne.

The Leafs entered the game hearing all about Tampa Bay's 1-3-1defence, but Toronto's speed and determination proved to be too much for the home squad.

When the game was over, Colborne was understandably elated. Frattin carried the puck hard to the net late in the second period, but when he started to lose it, he dropped it back to a trailing Colborne who had nothing but open net to shoot at. Colborne made it count.

"I told Fratts he owed me a pass," he said with a chuckle. "It was a great play by him. I'm going to be telling people it happened a lot differently in a few years, but I'll take anything I can get. I was more happy with the fact we were on the ice for two goals and weren't on for any against. That was big for me. I'm trying to earn some trust here with the coaching staff and hopefully that was a good step."

Colborne, Boston's first pick (16th overall) in the 2008 NHL entry draft, was one of the top players in the American Hockey League with the Marlies before being recalled, scoring 10 goals and 19 points in 13 games. Frattin started the year with the Maple Leafs, but after struggling to score, was sent to the Marlies where he played on a line with Colborne before being recalled. In three AHL games Frattin had two goals and three points. Scoring at the AHL level is one thing, but to connect in the NHL is a dream come true.

"It was more of a relief than anything else," Colborne said. "I know Fratts had some problems getting his first goal and I didn't want to go through that. Hopefully it's one of many and hopefully we can keep building on what we had today.

Colborne said he plans to give the puck from his first goal to his mother.

"I gave my dad the puck from my first NHL point," he said. "She deserves one, too."

Leafs coach Ron Wilson sees big things in Colborne's future.

"Joe is going to be a pretty good player in this league," Wilson said. "We're starting to see he's a little bit stronger in his skating and he's more ready now than he was at training camp. Frattin showed some real power moves tonight and got a little puck luck around the net. He made a nice play on the Colborne goal and then took it to the net on the Crabb goal."

Because of injuries the Leafs have been forced to constantly shuffle the lines - the exception being the Bozak, Kessel and Joffrey Lupul trio. For at least one game, Frattin, Colborne and Joey Crabb, who also scored, looked competent to say the least.

Frattin was delighted to see Colborne get the goal most kids dream of all their lives; their first in the Show.

"He was just in the right spot," Frattin said. "The puck got away from me and luckily their goalie, Dwayne Roloson, didn't come out and I kind of found him in the slot. We work off each other well. We're two big bodies - I have a low centre of gravity - and we try to work it down low and create space for ach other. We have good hockey sense and Crabb adds to that because he's a great player who has been around for a while."

Since being recalled by the Marlies to replace injured Mikhail Grabovski, Colborne - a natural centre - has been playing mostly left wing. The 6-foot-5, 213-pounder did, however, take five faceoffs against the Lightning, winning two.

"He's a big guy and he's hard to handle down low," Frattin said. "He can make great passes to set up his linemates."

The other good news for the Maple Leafs was the continued success of their power play. Toronto entered the game ranked fourth in the NHL in power play success, having scored on 17 of 80 opportunities for a 21.2 per cent success rate. They were fifth at home (10-for-45) and eighth on the road (7-for-35).

After going 0-for-5 in a 5-2 home loss to the Ottawa Senators Nov. 12, the Maple Leafs have been lethal with the man advantage going 5-for-11 in the next four games against Phoenix, Nashville, Washington and Carolina. Both of Toronto's first two goals against the Lightning came with Tampa Bay playing shorthanded - the second, by Bozak, with the Bolts down two men. Toronto finished the game 2-for-4.

"It really depends on how things are going at the time," said winger Joffrey Lupul. "We've been going well of late so you can't wait to climb over the boards when the other team gets a penalty. A few weeks ago when things weren't going as well, you'd see the ref's arm go up in the air signaling a penalty against the other team and you'd go, 'Oh no!' "

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.