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. Grant Hill Suns Jersey . 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. Dragan Bender Jersey . He spent the rest of the game making up for lost playing time. Green scored a career-high 36 points, including eight in overtime, and the Phoenix Suns beat Denver 112-107 on Tuesday night to hand the Nuggets their fifth consecutive loss. Dan Majerle Suns Jersey . Picard had a goal and two assists to help Canada improve to 2-0 at the tournament. Seven different players scored for the two-time defending champions. "Today all four lines played excellent," said head coach Laura Schuler. http://www.officialsunsfanstore.com/richaun-holmes-suns-jersey/ . Philbin said Thursday he wants players to treat one another with civility and he wont tolerate anything less. In taking questions for the first time since Ted Wells released his report into the bullying scandal that rocked the league, Philbin made it clear things would be cleaned up.David Poile and his U.S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. Its getting close to the time where the roster has to be real. "We know were going to have to make these decisions pretty soon," said Poile, the general manager of the American side. "Weve also got a number of injuries right now that we have to deal with, and we have to make decisions on that." Decisions are looming on three players who are out with injuries: Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, defenceman Brooks Orpik of the Pittsburgh Penguins and winger Ryan Callahan of the New York Rangers. Team Canada is dealing with a similar situation with injured Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos -- who was considered a lock to make it to Sochi -- and could name him to the team even if he hasnt returned after suffering a broken right tibia. Poile, by day the Nashville Predators general manager, plans to use the same injury exception if he has to. "If we think any of these players are going to be on the Olympic team or we want them on the Olympic team and theyre going to be healthy by Feb. 11, then well have to name them on the team and then well have to deal with replacing them if their injury doesnt come around," Poile said on a conference call Thursday. Unlike Canada, which will take advantage of the IIHF pushing the 25-man roster deadline back to Jan. 7, the U.S. will still name its team Jan. 1 at the Winter Classic. Six days may not make a lot of difference in this case. In answering the question about injuries, Poile used Quick, whos recovering from a Grade 2 groin strain, as his example. He went on to say that he expects the Kings goaltender to be ready. "The information that we have from Los Angeles, and specifically from (GM) Dean Lombardi, tells us that hes going to be back before the end of the year," Poile said. "If hes a guy that we want on the team, we will name him to the team. If, for some reason, between then and the start of the Olympics, he cant play because this injury didnt come around or what have you, we will be able to replace that player." Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy-winner for the Stanley Cup-champion Kings, is a shoo-in as long as hes healthy. He could even be the starter, though Poile had plenty of goodd things to say about 2010 silver-medal-winner Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres too. Kelly Oubre Jr. Suns Jersey. The U.S. has several goaltending options, including Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils and Ben Bishop of the Lightning. On defence, the U.S. cant be so sure about Orpik, who suffered a concussion Saturday night when he was knocked to the ice and sucker-punched by Boston Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton. "Its one of those things probably, with a concussion, that were going to have to wait and see and kind of see how he reacts," U.S. associate general manager and Penguins GM Ray Shero said this week. "Right now (hes) really not doing too much, just resting." Orpik was on the U.S. team at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and figured to be a part of the core of the group Poile expects to bring back for Sochi. If the concussion lingers and he cannot play, it would mean the loss of a veteran presence and key defensive stopper and penalty-killer. The penalty kill would also suffer if Callahan cannot recover in time, and the Rangers captain is in the most danger of that among these three. Callahan suffered a sprained ligament in his left knee in Tuesdays loss to the Predators and is expected to be out four to six weeks. That would mean a return sometime in January, after the roster deadline but before the Olympic break and before players fly to Russia. Poile listed Callahan among the U.S. teams leadership group and said "in all likelihood" all five -- Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, Dustin Brown and David Backes, additionally -- would make it. Its hard to replace what Callahan brings, but the U.S. is deep at right wing with Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, T.J. Oshie, Blake Wheeler and Bobby Ryan. Poile said he and Brian Burke, who was GM of the 2010 team, agreed that it was harder this season to pick the team and that thats a good thing. Its even better because of what injuries could do. "The most important thing, for U.S.A. Hockey specifically, is our talent pool is so much better, so much more in quantity (and) most importantly in quality," Poile said. "(Players from 2010 are) going to be the foundation of this team. Theres going to be some new players, up-and-coming younger players, that are just too good to keep off the team." ' ' '