Franson said Toronto's woes aren't the result of the club looking ahead to the postseason.
Jay McClement and Cody Franson also scored for Toronto, which snapped a two-game skid.
Franson clanged a shot off the post and Buffalo's Steve Ott was foiled on a breakaway by Reimer.
Franson gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead with 1:28 remaining in the first with a bullet from the blue line.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
Franson put the Maple Leafs up 3-2 at the 6:21 mark, connecting on a slap shot from the right point.
Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Franson said this wasn't the first time Carlyle used comedy to give the Maple Leafs (24-14-5) a boost.
Franson's power-play goal at 6:41, his fourth this season, gave the Leafs a 2-0 advantage as they scored on their first two shots of the period.
"He came in with a speech to lighten the mood a little bit, and called a couple guys out individually in a joking manner, " Franson said.
Cody Franson, Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf scored for the Leafs, who were solidly outshot 38-21 Phil Kessel, appearing in his 500th career NHL game, added three assists.
The big left-winger opened the scoring at 8:22 with a deflection on a Cody Franson point shot before doubling the Toronto lead on the power play by shoveling home a rebound at 12:24.
"It's a tough loss to swallow but the only way for us to get back into this is to focus on the positives and try to take the right steps to move forward, " said Leafs defenseman Cody Franson.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
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