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Air Canada Centre (15), Dan Boyle, Evgeni Nabokov, Jean-Sebastien Giguere (6), Joe Pavelski, Luke Schenn (3), NHL (19), Phil Kessel (8), Rob Blake, Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs (34), Tyler Bozak (4)

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The Leafs looked good against the NHL’s best road team but it wasn’t enough.

Ryane Clowe scored the winner at 13:21 of the third period and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 32 shots as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Air Canada Centre on Monday night.

Devin Setoguchi’s centring pass deflected off Luke Schenn’s skate and went to Clowe, who fired the puck into the open net for the margin of victory.

Nabokov made the lead stand up making two huge goal mouth saves on Viktor Stalberg with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel scored for Toronto (19-30-11). Nazem Kadri, played his first regular season NHL game. The 2009 first-round pick, currently playing for the London Knights of the OHL, logged over 17 minutes of ice time. Kaberle recorded his 400th career assist on Kessel’s goal.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere (6-9-5) stopped 23 shots and loses his first game as a Leaf.

Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski also scored for San Jose (39-11-9), as they have won nine consecutive on the road. The Sharks now have 87 points, one point behind the Washington Capitals for first overall in the NHL.

Nabokov (33-8-9 ) is 3-1-1 in his last five starts and has stopped 188 shots in that span.

Bozak gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at 10:36 of the first period when he took a Kessel pass and beat a lunging Nabokov with a quick wrist shot to the blocker side.

Kessel sent a pass through the legs of a sliding Rob Blake before Bozak one-timed the puck into the empty net.

Toronto came close to upping the lead 1:13 into the second when Alexi Ponikarovsky banged a wrist shot off the underside of the crossbar.

The Sharks tied the game over two minutes later when Boyle’s wrist shot deflected off the stick of John Mitchell before dropping below the glove of Giguere. The goal ended a 150-minute shut out streak for the newly acquired goaltender.

Pavelski gave San Jose a 2-1 lead at 5:40 of the second when his shot beat Giguere low to the blocker side.

Dion Phaneuf played a pivotal role in the Leafs tying the game with 51 seconds left in the second.

He drilled Jody Shelley at the Sharks blue-line and then goaded him into a retaliation minor. On the ensuing power play, he collected an assist when Kessel banged home his point shot.

The Toronto power play has been very effective lately, scoring five goals in the last 15 chances.

Clowe finished of the scoring at 13:21 of the final period when he tapped home and deflected pass.

Nabokov stopped eight shots in the third for the win.