TORONTO (CP) -- Alex Auld's new Boston Bruins teammates barely know him, but they cheered loudly when, with sweat dripping off his brow after his winning performance, he made his way into the dressing room.
Auld won his first start for the Bruins, 2-1 over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, two days after they acquired him from Phoenix.
``That's the great thing about hockey,'' said Auld. ``All the players know what different players go through and how tough it can be when you get bounced around.
``Everyone has been so welcoming. I didn't know many guys on this team but everyone has made me feel right at home, and that's great.''
Boston traded for the 26-year-old native of Thunder Bay, Ont., after Tim Thomas was injured. He was the backup in a 4-2 home loss to Montreal the day of the trade. To get his first start for the Bruins in Air Canada Centre was a treat.
``Coming from Ontario, it was the team I grew up watching,'' said Auld. ``It's pretty special to come in here and get the win, and getting my first win with my new team feels great. It's an awesome feeling.''
The six-foot-five goalie became expendable in Phoenix when the Coyotes acquired Ilya Bryzgalov from Anaheim last month. They sent Auld to the AHL team in San Antonio, Tex. His wife, who is 8 1-2 months pregnant, remains there.
The last 18 months have been frustrating, to say the least, for Auld.
``It's been crazy pretty much, in all honesty, since I was traded to Florida (by Vancouver),'' he explained. ``It's been so up and down''.
``You've just got to keep battling and believe in what you can do. That's probably the biggest thing. You keep getting pushed down but you've got to bounce back up and keep showing what you can do.''
He was a healthy scratch in an AHL game last Sunday.
``It's crazy the way things can go,'' he said. ``It's great to be back in a league I believe I belong in.
``This is an opportunity I want to take full advantage of and prove to everyone that I belong here.''
Auld's goaltending, suffocating checking and goals from Chuck Kobasew and Dennis Wideman earned the Bruins the victory.
``It was our best checking effort of the season,'' said assistant coach Craig Ramsay.
Auld was told by the head coach during their initial briefing that he'd get plenty of checking support.
``That's one of the first things Claude Julien told me when I joined the team, that it was going to be a system that was conducive to goaltenders,'' said Auld. ``That's great''.
``There's very little scrambling in our end. Even when we get hemmed in, we stay really poised. I felt good. I felt that I was seeing the puck well. That's so important. Our system in our end makes it that much easier.
``The guys really collapse in front of the net and pick up the rebounds. That makes my job a little bit easier in that regard.''
Jason Blake scored the game's first goal but that's all the Leafs could muster. They outshot Boston 26-20 and might have beat the Bruins had their power play not gone 0-for-6.
It's been a continuous problem for the Leafs, who entered the game ranked 28th in the league on manpower advantages. Boston was 1-for-4.
Vesa Toskala played well but was saddled with the goaltending loss. Toronto had won four in a row.
``It's obviously frustrating,'' Blake said of the loss. ``We had some chances but (Auld) played great.
``We can't let this loss linger too long. We've got a tough game against Tampa Bay on Monday night, and we've just got to get right back at it.''
The Bruins entered the game one point ahead of the Leafs and they're three up now.
Every time a Leaf touched the puck, there was a Bruin all over him. With the Leafs trying to match the Bruins' defensive diligence, there wasn't much for the 19,441 eyewitnesses to cheer about.
``They're a very defensive hockey team,'' said Toskala. ``They just sit back and wait for those turnovers.
``There were long periods where I didn't touch the puck.''
Alexei Ponikarovsky couldn't get a shot on Auld.
``That's what the Boston team is all about,'' he said. ``They're always trying to frustrate you and when they get the chance they just burst and go the other way and try to get odd-man rushes. They're playing trap like (the) New Jersey Devils. It's hard to get through in the neutral zone.''
It was Boston's third straight win over Toronto this season. The Leafs haven't beaten the Bruins since last Jan. 4.
``We knew what to expect,'' said Kyle Wellwood. ``They'd beaten us twice already playing that style, so we were really focused on beating them.
``We thought we played okay but the power play just didn't come through. We weren't skating fast enough and, when we were getting the puck, we were making bad decisions. We really need to start getting open for each other.''
Mats Sundin's club-record points streak from the start of a season ended at 16 games.
Notes: Toronto finished 0-for-6 and Boston 1-for-4 on power plays ... Toronto lost its two previous games against Boston this season and hasn't beaten the Bruins since last Jan. 4 ... C John Pohl and LW Bates Battaglia were healthy Leaf scratches ... The Leafs' average age is 29.4 years, and average size is six-feet-two and 209 pounds ... Nik Antropov's natural hat trick in the win in New York was the first by a Leaf since Sundin did it November 1998 ... The Leafs stay home to play Tampa Bay on Monday. They then play seven consecutive road games beginning in Atlanta on Friday.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: DENNIS WIDEMAN
2nd: JASON BLAKE
3rd: CHUCK KOBASEW
Winning Goaltender:
Alexander Auld
TORONTO -- Was it only two weeks ago that Toronto Maple Leafs fans jammed phone lines on sports talk radio and demanded that heads roll?
Since a 5-1 loss at Phoenix on Nov. 24 and the subsequent rumours of possible firings in the front office and behind the bench, the Maple Leafs have gone 5-1-1 to quiet Canada's largest hockey market.
``Sometimes you need an absurd amount of pressure to get things going,'' Leafs head coach Paul Maurice said after the latest victory Monday night, 6-1 over Tampa Bay. ``So absurd that you think the entire game of hockey will be called off based on the way the Leafs are playing. It helps put things in perspective.''
Jason Blake ignited a four-goal explosion in the second period Monday as the Leafs blew away the Lightning to catch the Montreal Canadiens at 32 points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
``The confidence level on this team is high,'' said Leafs forward Kyle Wellwood, who had two assists.
And they've done it with much better defensive play, cutting down on turnovers and shots against, as well as getting top-notch goaltending from Vesa Toskala.
``Vesa has settled down and is playing outstanding,'' said Leafs forward Nik Antropov, who had a goal and an assist. ``We're feeding off it. He's playing amazing right now.''
Chad Kilger had a pair of goals while Matt Stajan and captain Mats Sundin also scored for the Leafs (13-12-6), who play their next seven games on the road.
Michel Ouellet scored for the Lightning (13-14-3), who bring an NHL-worst 2-11-1 road record into the Bell Centre in Montreal on Tuesday night after another loss away from home.
``Let's call a spade a spade, it was a good old-fashioned (expletive) kicking,'' said a steaming John Tortorella, Tampa's fiery head coach.
League-leading scorer Vincent Lecavalier of the Lightning was kept off the scoresheet for the first time since a Nov. 29 game against Detroit.
``It's very disappointing, not the game we wanted to play,'' said Lecavalier. ``We played well in the first period but after that we couldn't keep the play in their zone.''
A scary-looking injury to star Lightning centre Brad Richards at 7:32 of the second period seemed to completely take the wind out of the sails of the Lightning, who at the time were very much in the game at 0-0 and playing well. Richards crashed into the corner boards and left the game favouring his left leg. The team said the injury wasn't too serious and that Richards could possibly even play at Montreal.
It looked worse at the time and his teammates were obviously shaken and stopped skating while the Leafs took full advantage.
Blake, Sundin, Antropov and Kilger scored in a span of 4:32 a few minutes after the Richard injury to break the game open, an angry Tortorella yanking starting goalie Johan Holmqvist after the fourth tally in favour of Marc Denis. Holmqvist gave up four goals on 21 shots but it was hardly his entire fault as his team stopped playing in front of him.
Blake got things going at 10:09, re-directing a Wellwood shot. Sundin made it 2-0 at 12:32 with a beauty of a backhand deke on a breakaway on a Leafs power play, Antropov knocked in a rebound on another rebound at 14:07 and Kilger capped the carnage with a long wrist shot that beat a screened Holmqvist at 14:41.
For Sundin and Antropov it was their 15th goals of the season, tied for the team lead. Toskala got his 11th win of the season as he made his seventh straight start in goal for Toronto.
The Leafs' 29th-ranked power play went 2-for-3.
Ouellet re-directed Filip Kuba's point shot with one minute to go in the middle period to make it 4-1. Stajan finished off a nice set-up at the side of the net from Boyd Devereaux 5:15 into the third period. Kilger completed a nearly identical scoring play from Antropov at 12:12 to make it 6-1.
Notes: Tampa went 0-for-5 on the power play ... The Leafs put forward Bates Battaglia on waivers Monday ... Toronto next plays Friday at Atlanta followed by a game Saturday in Montreal. They next play at home Dec. 29 against the New York Rangers ... It was the first of four games between Tampa and Toronto this season. The Leafs won all four last season ... Top defenceman Dan Boyle (left wrist) remains out for Tampa, as is forward Ryan Craig (left knee) ... Leafs defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo (right knee) is hoping to play his first game of the season before the end of the month.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: NIK ANTROPOV
2nd: BOYD DEVEREAUX
3rd: KYLE WELLWOOD
Winning Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
Well i do know they make the most money of all the Canadian teams.
No surprise there.
Slightly east of you you'll find the NHL's best attendance ->not that it matters seeing as they've booed their own team off the ice 3 games in a row (four after tonight!)
No surprise there.
Slightly east of you you'll find the NHL's best attendance ->not that it matters seeing as they've booed their own team off the ice 3 games in a row (four after tonight!)
But some arena's are smaller then others, the Leafs sell-out every game.
London 2005
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
I'm just busting your balls Kenny.
My point is the Leafs suck.
I'll second that .....and add Leaf fans suck also ....especially the really winy ones!!! .....Laugh Nation yeah right :rolleyes:
Van 92.07.21 / Van 98.07.19 / Sea 98.07.22 / Tor 98.08.22 / Sea 00.11.06 / Van 03.05.30/ Van 05.09.02/ Gorge 06.07.22 & 23 / EV Van 08.04.02 / Tor 09.08.21 / Sea 09.09.21 & 22 / Van 09.09.25 / Van 11.09.25 / Van 13.12.04 / Pem 16.07.17 / Sea 18.08.10
Yeah yeah, don't you have a 41st Anniversary Celebration to be preparing?
Second longest drought in the NHL ......and the way things are turning around now in Chicago i can defintly see them winnging a cup before the Laughs!!!
Van 92.07.21 / Van 98.07.19 / Sea 98.07.22 / Tor 98.08.22 / Sea 00.11.06 / Van 03.05.30/ Van 05.09.02/ Gorge 06.07.22 & 23 / EV Van 08.04.02 / Tor 09.08.21 / Sea 09.09.21 & 22 / Van 09.09.25 / Van 11.09.25 / Van 13.12.04 / Pem 16.07.17 / Sea 18.08.10
Second longest drought in the NHL ......and the way things are turning around now in Chicago i can defintly see them winnging a cup before the Laughs!!!
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs have broken even on the road so far this season but they'll have to do better than that in their next seven games, which are all in opposition arenas, to keep their heads above water in the NHL's Eastern Conference.
The Leafs were ninth with 32 points from 31 games after practice Thursday morning.
``We've been playing pretty well on the road so it doesn't make me nervous at all,'' Vesa Toskala says of the seven-game challenge.
The five-foot-10 Finnish goaltender will get most of the starts.
``As long as he's hot we're going to allow him to play the bulk of the games because he's playing very well,'' says coach Paul Maurice, adding that ``we don't (want to) leave the other guy out too, too long.''
The other guy would be Andrew Raycroft, who has been rooted on the end of the bench. To Raycroft's credit, he's not rocking the boat about being relegated to backup status.
``I could be standing here telling you guys I want to play but that doesn't do anybody any good,'' he told writers descending on his cubicle after interviewing Toskala. ``You know, I'm in the National Hockey League and I want to play as many games as I can.
``That's the reality of it, but I don't need to sit here and talk about it. As long as we're doing well and everybody's happy, I just need to work hard and do my thing.''
The seven games require three trips. The Leafs play in Atlanta on Friday and in Montreal on Saturday and fly home immediately after facing the Canadiens. They leave Monday for games against Carolina on Tuesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday and Florida on Saturday. They return home for Christmas and hit the road again for games against the Islanders on Dec. 26 and Philadelphia on Dec. 27.
``I think we'll certainly need more than one goalie on that (closing) stretch,'' says Maurice.
The only gripe Wade Belak has is that there's no rest day in Florida this season.
``Last year we had a day off in Florida and guys went fishing or golfing but this year it's all business,'' said the big forward, who has his suitcase and verbal needle ready. ``I think we've bonded enough up till now but it's always good to get out with the guys and raz each other.''
Darcy Tucker missed the practice.
``He's just a little under the weather,'' Maurice explained. ``When you have young kids they bring it home and you get to share it.
``He'll be fine for (Friday).''
Bates Battaglia, a healthy scratch for all but 13 games, was assigned to the Toronto Marlies AHL farm team.
Maurice declined to set a goal, in terms of points, for the seven-game stretch.
``We're in the thick of this fight with about 17 teams so there's no point in looking at any game past Atlanta,'' he said. ``You have to win them all.
``You'd hate to think you go in there and say, `We've got seven games and we'll be happy with 4-3, or 5-2 would be great,''' he said. ``We'll go with the idea of, `Let's win the first one and see what happens after that.'''
Should any player suggest 10 points might be a target to set for the seven-game challenge, Maurice has a message.
``We'd like to do that in the first five,'' he said.
There is no mystery about how Toronto has managed to gain 11 of a possible 14 points in its last seven games: hard work.
``We've adjusted to the fact we have to play consistently every game and bring a work ethic that is needed to win hockey games,'' said Alex Steen. ``I think we've gotten a lot better at that.''
Toskala agrees.
``The puck has been bouncing for us a little bit more than it was earlier in the season and that always comes when you work hard, the bounces come to your team,'' he said. ``We've been working hard, and we've been much smarter, too.''
Jason Blake has been more effective skating with Kyle Wellwood and Tucker, working offensive plays off rushes, than he was with Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov, when he was toiling unproductively in corners.
``I don't want to say there's less pressure but certainly there's less focus on Jason when he's not playing with Mats,'' said Maurice. ``He's not playing against the other team's best set of defencemen all the time and I think Jason can concentrate on his game.''
Maurice was in fine form. A voice in the media throng suggested, jokingly of course, that Belak would probably be picked for the all-star game but would decline due to a lower-body injury.
""It's unbelievable, a little respect out there would be nice," Maurice said. "You'd almost rather take a cheap shot than that," he said. "It doesn't matter, it's going to be his hand, it's going to be his knee, when you do something like that somebody's getting hurt. That's just not a natural thing to have happen on the ice."
This is on MacCabe's injury. Swearing in his interview about how much of a dirty cheap shot by Kostitsyn on MacCabe. Laughable. "Hog tied around the throat..." he says. Should have watched the replay before flappin' his trap.
yeah that was quite the collapse, but enjoyable to watch
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Recap | Stats | Scoresheet | Pics | : Pre-Game | Game in 6 | Post | Clips
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -One elite players and a rookie came up big for the slumping Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vincent Lecavalier scored with 41.6 seconds left in the third period and newcomer Karri Ramo made 31 saves to lead the Lightning past the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Thursday night.
Lecavalier's goal came from the lower right circle off a pass from Martin St. Louis. Jason Ward also scored for the Lightning, who snapped a three-game losing skid.
"Just to get a win, it definitely feels good," Lecavalier said.
Matt Stajan scored for Toronto, which lost its third straight.
"We are playing well enough do better, but at the end of the day it's not happening for us," Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. "Our goaltending has been real good. It's just tight when you're not scoring."
Ramo made his first career start one day after he was recalled from Norfolk of the AHL. Lightning starter Johan Holmqvist, pulled from three of his last four starts, is 13-12-3 this season with a 3.02 goals-against-average and .888 save-percentage. Backup goalie Marc Denis has dropped five of six decisions and has a 4.05 GAA.
"We were really desperate for a win," Ramo said. "Everybody was so pumped up to win this game."
The Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 16:36 of the second when Stajan's shot from along the left-wing boards deflected off Tampa Bay defenseman Doug Janik in the low slot.
Ramo turned aside a good scoring chance by Mark Bell, and on the ensuing rush, Ward tied it off a pass from Lecavalier with 1:19 left in the second.
"He obviously gave us a chance to win," Tampa Bay assistant coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought he made key big saves at some critical times. To have success in this league, you have to get timely saves, and I thought he did that for us."
Sullivan filled in for coach John Tortorella at the postgame media session. The team said Tortorella was involved in a meeting.
Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala made a sliding stop on Lecavalier during a 2-on-1 in the opening minute of the second. Toskala, who stopped 19 shots, also made a post-to-post save on Ward's in-close shot midway through the first
"He's been playing great," Stajan said. "I don't think we can say enough about Vesa's play. He's giving us a chance to win every game."
Ramo was not severely tested during the first half of the game, but did stop Mats Sundin's shot from the right circle on a late first-period Toronto power play. He made several strong saves, including an in-close try by Boyd Devereaux.
"He made some good saves when we needed it," Ward said. "I think we played well defensively as a unit to help him out. We needed a win, and no matter how we got it, it didn't matter."
Tampa Bay had dropped five of six.
Lightning center Craig MacDonald was hit in the mouth by Toronto defenseman Hal Gill's shot with 1:57 left in the third. The Lightning said MacDonald lost several teeth, and had mouth and tongue lacerations.
Notes: Ramo made two relief appearances for the Lightning last season. ... Tampa Bay D Brad Lukowich (shoulder) did not play. ... Devereaux had his three-game goal streak snapped. ... Peter Puck, the popular intermission animated character on U.S. national hockey broadcasts in the 1970s, returned to TV as part of the Maple Leafs broadcast. The team said it was the first time Peter Puck has been used on the air in 28 years.
Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st: VINCENT LECAVALIER
2nd: VESA TOSKALA
3rd: KARRI RAMO
Winning Goaltender:
Karri Ramo
Recap | Scoresheet | Stats | Pics | : Pre-Game | Game In 6 | Post Game Clips
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- -- The Toronto Maple Leafs found a way to win a close game.
Pavel Kubina's power-play goal 34 seconds into overtime helped the Maple Leafs snap a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Toronto's previous two losses were by one goal, and the Leafs allowed a goal in the last minute of regulation in each game.
"It was tough those two games, but we still were playing good hockey," Kubina said. "Especially before Christmas, it s going to be great, a couple of days without hockey, but then we have to start thinking about the next one."
Kubina's goal was his second of the season and first since Oct. 27 against the Islanders.
He scored on a 4-on-3, with assists from Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle, after Florida's Richard Zednik was called for slashing at 18:45 of the third period. Kubina beat Tomas Vokoun with a slap shot from the right point.
"I got a new stick five minutes beforehand," Kubina said. "A great play by Mats and Kaby. It gave me so much time. They took the left side away and I just shot it on net."
The Panthers weren't happy about the call on Zednik, who broke his stick as he went to check Kaberle in the offensive zone.
Zednik declined to talk to reporters after the game.
Panthers coach Jacques Martin said, "I'll let you talk about it. I'd rather not talk about it."
Kyle Wellwood also scored for Toronto, which improved to 2-3 on its franchise record-tying, seven-game road trip. Kaberle and Sundin each had two assists.
Olli Jokinen scored for the Panthers, who had won three straight.
All three goals were scored on the power play.
"It was a pretty even game 5-on-5," Jokinen said. "They got two goals on their power play and we got one. Last five minutes with a couple of penalties there, it's a tough way to lose."
Vesa Toskala stopped 29 shots for the Leafs. Vokoun made 29 saves for Florida.
Toronto almost broke the 1-1 tie midway through the third period, but Vokoun made a spectacular pad save on Nik Antropov's one-timer off Sundin's pass.
Wellwood opened the scoring 5:18 in when he snapped an 11-game goal drought. Wellwood took a pass from Sundin at the side of the Florida net and moved to the front before beating Vokoun with a wrist shot over his left shoulder.
"I knew going into Christmas it would feel nice to get a goal," Wellwood said. "There's a lot of guys who need to start scoring more, and I'm one of them."
Toskala preserved Toronto's lead until the final minute of the second period. He robbed Brett McLean with a glove save as the puck was about to cross the goal line in the air. The play was reviewed, and replay confirmed Toskala stopped the puck before it went in.
"It brought a smile to everybody's face," Toronto coach Paul Maurice said. "That was something else. I don't think anybody expected to see it. It wasn't one of those where he just shoots it into the guy's glove."
Jokinen beat Toskala with 19.2 seconds left in the second period after intercepting a clearing attempt at the blue line. Jokinen skated in with the puck before firing a slap shot that beat Toskala through a crowd.
"We knew it was going to be a tight game," Martin said. "It's the kind of game they've been in lately and the kind of game we've been in. It's unfortunate we lost it in overtime."
Notes: Florida LW David Booth missed his sixth consecutive game because of a bruised knee. ... Florida was called for two penalties for too many men on the ice in the second period. ... Toronto has had seven-game road trips six previous times, the last in January 1999. ... Wellwood's previous goal was scored Nov. 24 at Phoenix. ... Florida coach Jacques Martin is still at 496 career victories, one shy of Glen Sather for 10th place on the NHL career list.
Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st: VESA TOSKALA
2nd: PAVEL KUBINA
3rd: TOMAS VOKOUN
Winning Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
The Toronto Maple Leafs are happy to be spending part of their holidays at home.
After completing their longest road trip in nearly a decade, the Maple Leafs take the ice at the Air Canada Centre for the first time since Dec. 10 when they meet the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
Toronto (15-15-8) went 2-3-2 on a franchise record high-tying seven game swing - its longest since January 1999. The Maple Leafs had a chance to post a winning record, but lost 4-1 on Thursday in Philadelphia despite outshooting the Flyers 35-34.
"We've played far better for the majority of the trip," Toronto coach Paul Maurice said. "We're just showing the result of not putting pucks in the net."
After opening the road trip with a 4-0 win in Atlanta, the Maple Leafs have struggled offensively with just 10 goals in their last six games.
A large part of that can be attributed to the recent drought from their top goal-scorers. Mats Sundin, who leads Toronto with 17 goals, had gone five games without one before scoring in Philadelphia. Nik Antropov went the entire road trip without a goal and remains second with 15.
Sundin, though, has 19 goals and 39 assists in his career against the Rangers, including a goal and two assists this season. Antropov has six goals in 21 games - three of those coming in Toronto's 6-3 victory at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6, his second career hat-trick.
Toronto has won two of three meetings with the Rangers in 2007-08, both in New York.
The Maple Leafs are dealing with a groin injury to starting goaltender Vesa Toskala. The Finn is 13-11-4 with a 2.62 goals-against average, but missed the team's past two games. Andrew Raycroft, who hadn't played since Nov. 24, gave up four goals to the Islanders on Dec. 26 and four to the Flyers one night later.
Toskala's status for this game is unclear.
The Rangers (18-15-4) had been 1-3-2 in their past six games before a 4-2 win against Southeast-leading Carolina on Wednesday.
New York was supposed to have a high-powered offense this season with the additions of free agents Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to go with 600-goal scorer Jaromir Jagr. But the three have only nine goals apiece through 37 games, and Jagr had gone 10 games without scoring before getting a pair against the Hurricanes.
"I know it had been a long time," Jagr said. "It's not easy for the confidence. When you have chances and you haven't scored for a long time, sometimes you do things you wouldn't when you're hot, on a streak. Hopefully, it's behind me."
Jagr has 28 goals and 34 assists in 43 career games against the Maple Leafs, including one goal this season.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been one of the league's top netminders in 2007-08, posting a 2.20 GAA and six shutouts. But he's struggled in December, posting a 4-4-2 record and a 3.13 GAA.
In his last three road contests, he's allowed 15 goals for a 5.09 GAA. He's 4-4-0 against Toronto in his career with a 3.66 GAA, and has lost four of his last five.
Joe
"It's Evolution Baby"
Montreal '00; Toronto '03; Montreal '03; Kitchener '05; London '05; Hamilton '05; Toronto '05; Toronto '06 x2; Boston '06; Toronto '08 x2 (Eddie)
TORONTO (CP) -- Things went so badly for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night that GM John Ferguson didn't bother sticking around to watch the third period from his normal spot in the press box.
Coach Paul Maurice wasn't as lucky.
The Maple Leafs took eight penalties in the first half of the game alone and fell behind the New York Rangers 5-0. They basically could have turned the lights out at that point as the Rangers went on to win 6-1.
``That's a tough game to sit through when you're getting beaten that bad that early,'' said Maurice.
None of the 19,408 fans at Air Canada Centre will take issue with his point. Only a couple thousand people were left in the stands when the final buzzer sounded.
It's the third time this season Toronto has been thoroughly embarrassed at home as both Carolina and Washington beat the Maple Leafs 7-1 here in October. After playing the last seven games on the road, this one might have been even tougher to take.
``It's no fun doing that in front of your home crowd,'' said Leafs forward Alexander Steen. ``The Rangers came in and they handed it to us in front of our home fans.
``It's not something that we enjoy for sure. I don't know what else to say _ it's tough losing, especially this way.''
Jaromir Jagr lead the way for the Rangers with a goal and three assists. Petr Prucha, with two, Blair Betts, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka also scored for New York (19-15-4).
Backup goaltender Steve Valiquette made 27 saves for his second win of the year. Both have come in this building.
``It was an outstanding game for us, probably our best effort of the year,'' he said. ``There's something about coming to Toronto.''
Darcy Tucker broke Valiquette's shutout bid at 8:20 of the third period with what turned out to be the lone goal for the Maple Leafs (15-16-8).
Toronto allowed five power-play goals during the game, which is more than it gave up during its entire seven-game road trip. The Maple Leafs were only scored on three times while a man down during that stretch.
``Tonight was obviously an awful hockey game for our team,'' said Leafs captain Mats Sundin. ``We went to the penalty box way too many times.''
Betts opened the scoring at 12:29, while the teams were playing at even strength. Raycroft was hugging the right post as Betts came out from behind the net, but the Rangers centre somehow squeezed a shot through him.
Soft goals like that one have plagued the Leafs goalie since he arrived in Toronto before last season.
``The first one sucked and then we didn't recover from it,'' said Raycroft.
Jagr made it 2-0 a little over three minutes later. He slid the puck into an empty net after Raycroft had come out of his crease to make a nice stop on a point shot. Jagr now has three goals in two games after being held scoreless in 10.
The game really opened up in the second period. Toronto was two men down for a total of three minutes 52 seconds during the frame and the Rangers had three power-play goals. Prucha converted a pass from Sean Avery at 3:58, Shanahan beat Raycroft with a one-timer at 7:54 and Straka snuck a point shot by him at 10:31.
That's not how the Leafs had envisioned things happening when they were in the dressing room during the first intermission.
``We tried to go back out in the second and have a good couple first shifts,'' said Tucker. ``But we took some penalties and boom, they picked us apart on the power play.''
Maurice pulled Raycroft for Scott Clemmensen after the fifth goal and it was pretty clear at that point that the game was over.
The Rangers were already looking ahead to Sunday's game against Montreal.
``At a certain point tonight, (we) started thinking about tomorrow night's game and keeping shifts short and rolling the lines over and playing a safe, smart third period,'' said Shanahan.
Prucha beat Clemmensen at 1:09 of the third period with yet another power-play goal to make it 6-0. He was parked at the side of the net and took a great cross-ice pass from Brandon Dubinsky.
Tucker scored at 8:20 after being sent in alone by Mark Bell and beating Valiquette to the glove side.
It was one of the few moments worthy of a cheer during a frustrating evening for the home fans. The Maple Leafs now have two days of practice before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on New Year's Day.
Maurice refused to disclose what message he had for his team after the loss to the Rangers.
``There are some things you should just keep to yourself,'' he said.
Notes: It was the sixth time the Maple Leafs have allowed five goals or more at home this season and 10th time overall ...The announced attendance at Air Canada Centre was 19,408 ... Dubinsky had three assists for the Rangers ... John Pohl, Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman were healthy scratches for the Maple Leafs ... It was Avery's first game at the ACC since having a scuffle with Tucker during the warmup on Nov. 10 ... This was the final meeting of the regular season between the teams. Toronto took the series 2-1-1.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: JAROMIR JAGR
2nd: MARTIN STRAKA
3rd: PETR PRUCHA
Winning Goaltender:
Stephen Valiquette
Comments
Auld won his first start for the Bruins, 2-1 over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, two days after they acquired him from Phoenix.
``That's the great thing about hockey,'' said Auld. ``All the players know what different players go through and how tough it can be when you get bounced around.
``Everyone has been so welcoming. I didn't know many guys on this team but everyone has made me feel right at home, and that's great.''
Boston traded for the 26-year-old native of Thunder Bay, Ont., after Tim Thomas was injured. He was the backup in a 4-2 home loss to Montreal the day of the trade. To get his first start for the Bruins in Air Canada Centre was a treat.
``Coming from Ontario, it was the team I grew up watching,'' said Auld. ``It's pretty special to come in here and get the win, and getting my first win with my new team feels great. It's an awesome feeling.''
The six-foot-five goalie became expendable in Phoenix when the Coyotes acquired Ilya Bryzgalov from Anaheim last month. They sent Auld to the AHL team in San Antonio, Tex. His wife, who is 8 1-2 months pregnant, remains there.
The last 18 months have been frustrating, to say the least, for Auld.
``It's been crazy pretty much, in all honesty, since I was traded to Florida (by Vancouver),'' he explained. ``It's been so up and down''.
``You've just got to keep battling and believe in what you can do. That's probably the biggest thing. You keep getting pushed down but you've got to bounce back up and keep showing what you can do.''
He was a healthy scratch in an AHL game last Sunday.
``It's crazy the way things can go,'' he said. ``It's great to be back in a league I believe I belong in.
``This is an opportunity I want to take full advantage of and prove to everyone that I belong here.''
Auld's goaltending, suffocating checking and goals from Chuck Kobasew and Dennis Wideman earned the Bruins the victory.
``It was our best checking effort of the season,'' said assistant coach Craig Ramsay.
Auld was told by the head coach during their initial briefing that he'd get plenty of checking support.
``That's one of the first things Claude Julien told me when I joined the team, that it was going to be a system that was conducive to goaltenders,'' said Auld. ``That's great''.
``There's very little scrambling in our end. Even when we get hemmed in, we stay really poised. I felt good. I felt that I was seeing the puck well. That's so important. Our system in our end makes it that much easier.
``The guys really collapse in front of the net and pick up the rebounds. That makes my job a little bit easier in that regard.''
Jason Blake scored the game's first goal but that's all the Leafs could muster. They outshot Boston 26-20 and might have beat the Bruins had their power play not gone 0-for-6.
It's been a continuous problem for the Leafs, who entered the game ranked 28th in the league on manpower advantages. Boston was 1-for-4.
Vesa Toskala played well but was saddled with the goaltending loss. Toronto had won four in a row.
``It's obviously frustrating,'' Blake said of the loss. ``We had some chances but (Auld) played great.
``We can't let this loss linger too long. We've got a tough game against Tampa Bay on Monday night, and we've just got to get right back at it.''
The Bruins entered the game one point ahead of the Leafs and they're three up now.
Every time a Leaf touched the puck, there was a Bruin all over him. With the Leafs trying to match the Bruins' defensive diligence, there wasn't much for the 19,441 eyewitnesses to cheer about.
``They're a very defensive hockey team,'' said Toskala. ``They just sit back and wait for those turnovers.
``There were long periods where I didn't touch the puck.''
Alexei Ponikarovsky couldn't get a shot on Auld.
``That's what the Boston team is all about,'' he said. ``They're always trying to frustrate you and when they get the chance they just burst and go the other way and try to get odd-man rushes. They're playing trap like (the) New Jersey Devils. It's hard to get through in the neutral zone.''
It was Boston's third straight win over Toronto this season. The Leafs haven't beaten the Bruins since last Jan. 4.
``We knew what to expect,'' said Kyle Wellwood. ``They'd beaten us twice already playing that style, so we were really focused on beating them.
``We thought we played okay but the power play just didn't come through. We weren't skating fast enough and, when we were getting the puck, we were making bad decisions. We really need to start getting open for each other.''
Mats Sundin's club-record points streak from the start of a season ended at 16 games.
Notes: Toronto finished 0-for-6 and Boston 1-for-4 on power plays ... Toronto lost its two previous games against Boston this season and hasn't beaten the Bruins since last Jan. 4 ... C John Pohl and LW Bates Battaglia were healthy Leaf scratches ... The Leafs' average age is 29.4 years, and average size is six-feet-two and 209 pounds ... Nik Antropov's natural hat trick in the win in New York was the first by a Leaf since Sundin did it November 1998 ... The Leafs stay home to play Tampa Bay on Monday. They then play seven consecutive road games beginning in Atlanta on Friday.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: DENNIS WIDEMAN
2nd: JASON BLAKE
3rd: CHUCK KOBASEW
Winning Goaltender:
Alexander Auld
Losing Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=421
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Since a 5-1 loss at Phoenix on Nov. 24 and the subsequent rumours of possible firings in the front office and behind the bench, the Maple Leafs have gone 5-1-1 to quiet Canada's largest hockey market.
``Sometimes you need an absurd amount of pressure to get things going,'' Leafs head coach Paul Maurice said after the latest victory Monday night, 6-1 over Tampa Bay. ``So absurd that you think the entire game of hockey will be called off based on the way the Leafs are playing. It helps put things in perspective.''
Jason Blake ignited a four-goal explosion in the second period Monday as the Leafs blew away the Lightning to catch the Montreal Canadiens at 32 points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
``The confidence level on this team is high,'' said Leafs forward Kyle Wellwood, who had two assists.
And they've done it with much better defensive play, cutting down on turnovers and shots against, as well as getting top-notch goaltending from Vesa Toskala.
``Vesa has settled down and is playing outstanding,'' said Leafs forward Nik Antropov, who had a goal and an assist. ``We're feeding off it. He's playing amazing right now.''
Chad Kilger had a pair of goals while Matt Stajan and captain Mats Sundin also scored for the Leafs (13-12-6), who play their next seven games on the road.
Michel Ouellet scored for the Lightning (13-14-3), who bring an NHL-worst 2-11-1 road record into the Bell Centre in Montreal on Tuesday night after another loss away from home.
``Let's call a spade a spade, it was a good old-fashioned (expletive) kicking,'' said a steaming John Tortorella, Tampa's fiery head coach.
League-leading scorer Vincent Lecavalier of the Lightning was kept off the scoresheet for the first time since a Nov. 29 game against Detroit.
``It's very disappointing, not the game we wanted to play,'' said Lecavalier. ``We played well in the first period but after that we couldn't keep the play in their zone.''
A scary-looking injury to star Lightning centre Brad Richards at 7:32 of the second period seemed to completely take the wind out of the sails of the Lightning, who at the time were very much in the game at 0-0 and playing well. Richards crashed into the corner boards and left the game favouring his left leg. The team said the injury wasn't too serious and that Richards could possibly even play at Montreal.
It looked worse at the time and his teammates were obviously shaken and stopped skating while the Leafs took full advantage.
Blake, Sundin, Antropov and Kilger scored in a span of 4:32 a few minutes after the Richard injury to break the game open, an angry Tortorella yanking starting goalie Johan Holmqvist after the fourth tally in favour of Marc Denis. Holmqvist gave up four goals on 21 shots but it was hardly his entire fault as his team stopped playing in front of him.
Blake got things going at 10:09, re-directing a Wellwood shot. Sundin made it 2-0 at 12:32 with a beauty of a backhand deke on a breakaway on a Leafs power play, Antropov knocked in a rebound on another rebound at 14:07 and Kilger capped the carnage with a long wrist shot that beat a screened Holmqvist at 14:41.
For Sundin and Antropov it was their 15th goals of the season, tied for the team lead. Toskala got his 11th win of the season as he made his seventh straight start in goal for Toronto.
The Leafs' 29th-ranked power play went 2-for-3.
Ouellet re-directed Filip Kuba's point shot with one minute to go in the middle period to make it 4-1. Stajan finished off a nice set-up at the side of the net from Boyd Devereaux 5:15 into the third period. Kilger completed a nearly identical scoring play from Antropov at 12:12 to make it 6-1.
Notes: Tampa went 0-for-5 on the power play ... The Leafs put forward Bates Battaglia on waivers Monday ... Toronto next plays Friday at Atlanta followed by a game Saturday in Montreal. They next play at home Dec. 29 against the New York Rangers ... It was the first of four games between Tampa and Toronto this season. The Leafs won all four last season ... Top defenceman Dan Boyle (left wrist) remains out for Tampa, as is forward Ryan Craig (left knee) ... Leafs defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo (right knee) is hoping to play his first game of the season before the end of the month.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: NIK ANTROPOV
2nd: BOYD DEVEREAUX
3rd: KYLE WELLWOOD
Winning Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
Losing Goaltender:
Johan Holmqvist
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app?gameNumber=437&gameType=2&page=Recap&season=20072008&service=page
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They should measure it by highest attendance, then we'd know the REAL market.
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No surprise there.
Slightly east of you you'll find the NHL's best attendance ->not that it matters seeing as they've booed their own team off the ice 3 games in a row (four after tonight!)
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I'm just busting your balls Kenny.
My point is the Leafs suck.
I'll second that
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Yeah yeah, don't you have a 41st Anniversary Celebration to be preparing?
Second longest drought in the NHL ......and the way things are turning around now in Chicago i can defintly see them winnging a cup before the Laughs!!!
Do you ever bring any other point to the thread? I am guilty of that too.
The Leafs were ninth with 32 points from 31 games after practice Thursday morning.
``We've been playing pretty well on the road so it doesn't make me nervous at all,'' Vesa Toskala says of the seven-game challenge.
The five-foot-10 Finnish goaltender will get most of the starts.
``As long as he's hot we're going to allow him to play the bulk of the games because he's playing very well,'' says coach Paul Maurice, adding that ``we don't (want to) leave the other guy out too, too long.''
The other guy would be Andrew Raycroft, who has been rooted on the end of the bench. To Raycroft's credit, he's not rocking the boat about being relegated to backup status.
``I could be standing here telling you guys I want to play but that doesn't do anybody any good,'' he told writers descending on his cubicle after interviewing Toskala. ``You know, I'm in the National Hockey League and I want to play as many games as I can.
``That's the reality of it, but I don't need to sit here and talk about it. As long as we're doing well and everybody's happy, I just need to work hard and do my thing.''
The seven games require three trips. The Leafs play in Atlanta on Friday and in Montreal on Saturday and fly home immediately after facing the Canadiens. They leave Monday for games against Carolina on Tuesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday and Florida on Saturday. They return home for Christmas and hit the road again for games against the Islanders on Dec. 26 and Philadelphia on Dec. 27.
``I think we'll certainly need more than one goalie on that (closing) stretch,'' says Maurice.
The only gripe Wade Belak has is that there's no rest day in Florida this season.
``Last year we had a day off in Florida and guys went fishing or golfing but this year it's all business,'' said the big forward, who has his suitcase and verbal needle ready. ``I think we've bonded enough up till now but it's always good to get out with the guys and raz each other.''
Darcy Tucker missed the practice.
``He's just a little under the weather,'' Maurice explained. ``When you have young kids they bring it home and you get to share it.
``He'll be fine for (Friday).''
Bates Battaglia, a healthy scratch for all but 13 games, was assigned to the Toronto Marlies AHL farm team.
Maurice declined to set a goal, in terms of points, for the seven-game stretch.
``We're in the thick of this fight with about 17 teams so there's no point in looking at any game past Atlanta,'' he said. ``You have to win them all.
``You'd hate to think you go in there and say, `We've got seven games and we'll be happy with 4-3, or 5-2 would be great,''' he said. ``We'll go with the idea of, `Let's win the first one and see what happens after that.'''
Should any player suggest 10 points might be a target to set for the seven-game challenge, Maurice has a message.
``We'd like to do that in the first five,'' he said.
There is no mystery about how Toronto has managed to gain 11 of a possible 14 points in its last seven games: hard work.
``We've adjusted to the fact we have to play consistently every game and bring a work ethic that is needed to win hockey games,'' said Alex Steen. ``I think we've gotten a lot better at that.''
Toskala agrees.
``The puck has been bouncing for us a little bit more than it was earlier in the season and that always comes when you work hard, the bounces come to your team,'' he said. ``We've been working hard, and we've been much smarter, too.''
Jason Blake has been more effective skating with Kyle Wellwood and Tucker, working offensive plays off rushes, than he was with Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov, when he was toiling unproductively in corners.
``I don't want to say there's less pressure but certainly there's less focus on Jason when he's not playing with Mats,'' said Maurice. ``He's not playing against the other team's best set of defencemen all the time and I think Jason can concentrate on his game.''
Maurice was in fine form. A voice in the media throng suggested, jokingly of course, that Belak would probably be picked for the all-star game but would decline due to a lower-body injury.
``He's a giving person and . . . a young guy like (Sidney) Crosby might be named if Wade declines,'' said Maurice. ``He's a kind and giving person. Merry Christmas.''
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=346491
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Fak I hate you guys.
I hope the bus gets a flat tire on the way.
""It's unbelievable, a little respect out there would be nice," Maurice said. "You'd almost rather take a cheap shot than that," he said. "It doesn't matter, it's going to be his hand, it's going to be his knee, when you do something like that somebody's getting hurt. That's just not a natural thing to have happen on the ice."
This is on MacCabe's injury. Swearing in his interview about how much of a dirty cheap shot by Kostitsyn on MacCabe. Laughable. "Hog tied around the throat..." he says. Should have watched the replay before flappin' his trap.
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
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2 in a row
OUCH...........................
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Recap | Stats | Scoresheet | Pics | : Pre-Game | Game in 6 | Post | Clips
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -One elite players and a rookie came up big for the slumping Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vincent Lecavalier scored with 41.6 seconds left in the third period and newcomer Karri Ramo made 31 saves to lead the Lightning past the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Thursday night.
Lecavalier's goal came from the lower right circle off a pass from Martin St. Louis. Jason Ward also scored for the Lightning, who snapped a three-game losing skid.
"Just to get a win, it definitely feels good," Lecavalier said.
Matt Stajan scored for Toronto, which lost its third straight.
"We are playing well enough do better, but at the end of the day it's not happening for us," Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. "Our goaltending has been real good. It's just tight when you're not scoring."
Ramo made his first career start one day after he was recalled from Norfolk of the AHL. Lightning starter Johan Holmqvist, pulled from three of his last four starts, is 13-12-3 this season with a 3.02 goals-against-average and .888 save-percentage. Backup goalie Marc Denis has dropped five of six decisions and has a 4.05 GAA.
"We were really desperate for a win," Ramo said. "Everybody was so pumped up to win this game."
The Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 16:36 of the second when Stajan's shot from along the left-wing boards deflected off Tampa Bay defenseman Doug Janik in the low slot.
Ramo turned aside a good scoring chance by Mark Bell, and on the ensuing rush, Ward tied it off a pass from Lecavalier with 1:19 left in the second.
"He obviously gave us a chance to win," Tampa Bay assistant coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought he made key big saves at some critical times. To have success in this league, you have to get timely saves, and I thought he did that for us."
Sullivan filled in for coach John Tortorella at the postgame media session. The team said Tortorella was involved in a meeting.
Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala made a sliding stop on Lecavalier during a 2-on-1 in the opening minute of the second. Toskala, who stopped 19 shots, also made a post-to-post save on Ward's in-close shot midway through the first
"He's been playing great," Stajan said. "I don't think we can say enough about Vesa's play. He's giving us a chance to win every game."
Ramo was not severely tested during the first half of the game, but did stop Mats Sundin's shot from the right circle on a late first-period Toronto power play. He made several strong saves, including an in-close try by Boyd Devereaux.
"He made some good saves when we needed it," Ward said. "I think we played well defensively as a unit to help him out. We needed a win, and no matter how we got it, it didn't matter."
Tampa Bay had dropped five of six.
Lightning center Craig MacDonald was hit in the mouth by Toronto defenseman Hal Gill's shot with 1:57 left in the third. The Lightning said MacDonald lost several teeth, and had mouth and tongue lacerations.
Notes: Ramo made two relief appearances for the Lightning last season. ... Tampa Bay D Brad Lukowich (shoulder) did not play. ... Devereaux had his three-game goal streak snapped. ... Peter Puck, the popular intermission animated character on U.S. national hockey broadcasts in the 1970s, returned to TV as part of the Maple Leafs broadcast. The team said it was the first time Peter Puck has been used on the air in 28 years.
Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st: VINCENT LECAVALIER
2nd: VESA TOSKALA
3rd: KARRI RAMO
Winning Goaltender:
Karri Ramo
Losing Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=505
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Recap | Scoresheet | Stats | Pics | : Pre-Game | Game In 6 | Post Game Clips
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- -- The Toronto Maple Leafs found a way to win a close game.
Pavel Kubina's power-play goal 34 seconds into overtime helped the Maple Leafs snap a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Toronto's previous two losses were by one goal, and the Leafs allowed a goal in the last minute of regulation in each game.
"It was tough those two games, but we still were playing good hockey," Kubina said. "Especially before Christmas, it s going to be great, a couple of days without hockey, but then we have to start thinking about the next one."
Kubina's goal was his second of the season and first since Oct. 27 against the Islanders.
He scored on a 4-on-3, with assists from Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle, after Florida's Richard Zednik was called for slashing at 18:45 of the third period. Kubina beat Tomas Vokoun with a slap shot from the right point.
"I got a new stick five minutes beforehand," Kubina said. "A great play by Mats and Kaby. It gave me so much time. They took the left side away and I just shot it on net."
The Panthers weren't happy about the call on Zednik, who broke his stick as he went to check Kaberle in the offensive zone.
Zednik declined to talk to reporters after the game.
Panthers coach Jacques Martin said, "I'll let you talk about it. I'd rather not talk about it."
Kyle Wellwood also scored for Toronto, which improved to 2-3 on its franchise record-tying, seven-game road trip. Kaberle and Sundin each had two assists.
Olli Jokinen scored for the Panthers, who had won three straight.
All three goals were scored on the power play.
"It was a pretty even game 5-on-5," Jokinen said. "They got two goals on their power play and we got one. Last five minutes with a couple of penalties there, it's a tough way to lose."
Vesa Toskala stopped 29 shots for the Leafs. Vokoun made 29 saves for Florida.
Toronto almost broke the 1-1 tie midway through the third period, but Vokoun made a spectacular pad save on Nik Antropov's one-timer off Sundin's pass.
Wellwood opened the scoring 5:18 in when he snapped an 11-game goal drought. Wellwood took a pass from Sundin at the side of the Florida net and moved to the front before beating Vokoun with a wrist shot over his left shoulder.
"I knew going into Christmas it would feel nice to get a goal," Wellwood said. "There's a lot of guys who need to start scoring more, and I'm one of them."
Toskala preserved Toronto's lead until the final minute of the second period. He robbed Brett McLean with a glove save as the puck was about to cross the goal line in the air. The play was reviewed, and replay confirmed Toskala stopped the puck before it went in.
"It brought a smile to everybody's face," Toronto coach Paul Maurice said. "That was something else. I don't think anybody expected to see it. It wasn't one of those where he just shoots it into the guy's glove."
Jokinen beat Toskala with 19.2 seconds left in the second period after intercepting a clearing attempt at the blue line. Jokinen skated in with the puck before firing a slap shot that beat Toskala through a crowd.
"We knew it was going to be a tight game," Martin said. "It's the kind of game they've been in lately and the kind of game we've been in. It's unfortunate we lost it in overtime."
Notes: Florida LW David Booth missed his sixth consecutive game because of a bruised knee. ... Florida was called for two penalties for too many men on the ice in the second period. ... Toronto has had seven-game road trips six previous times, the last in January 1999. ... Wellwood's previous goal was scored Nov. 24 at Phoenix. ... Florida coach Jacques Martin is still at 496 career victories, one shy of Glen Sather for 10th place on the NHL career list.
Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st: VESA TOSKALA
2nd: PAVEL KUBINA
3rd: TOMAS VOKOUN
Winning Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
Losing Goaltender:
Tomas Vokoun
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=522
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http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=537
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After completing their longest road trip in nearly a decade, the Maple Leafs take the ice at the Air Canada Centre for the first time since Dec. 10 when they meet the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
Toronto (15-15-8) went 2-3-2 on a franchise record high-tying seven game swing - its longest since January 1999. The Maple Leafs had a chance to post a winning record, but lost 4-1 on Thursday in Philadelphia despite outshooting the Flyers 35-34.
"We've played far better for the majority of the trip," Toronto coach Paul Maurice said. "We're just showing the result of not putting pucks in the net."
After opening the road trip with a 4-0 win in Atlanta, the Maple Leafs have struggled offensively with just 10 goals in their last six games.
A large part of that can be attributed to the recent drought from their top goal-scorers. Mats Sundin, who leads Toronto with 17 goals, had gone five games without one before scoring in Philadelphia. Nik Antropov went the entire road trip without a goal and remains second with 15.
Sundin, though, has 19 goals and 39 assists in his career against the Rangers, including a goal and two assists this season. Antropov has six goals in 21 games - three of those coming in Toronto's 6-3 victory at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6, his second career hat-trick.
Toronto has won two of three meetings with the Rangers in 2007-08, both in New York.
The Maple Leafs are dealing with a groin injury to starting goaltender Vesa Toskala. The Finn is 13-11-4 with a 2.62 goals-against average, but missed the team's past two games. Andrew Raycroft, who hadn't played since Nov. 24, gave up four goals to the Islanders on Dec. 26 and four to the Flyers one night later.
Toskala's status for this game is unclear.
The Rangers (18-15-4) had been 1-3-2 in their past six games before a 4-2 win against Southeast-leading Carolina on Wednesday.
New York was supposed to have a high-powered offense this season with the additions of free agents Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to go with 600-goal scorer Jaromir Jagr. But the three have only nine goals apiece through 37 games, and Jagr had gone 10 games without scoring before getting a pair against the Hurricanes.
"I know it had been a long time," Jagr said. "It's not easy for the confidence. When you have chances and you haven't scored for a long time, sometimes you do things you wouldn't when you're hot, on a streak. Hopefully, it's behind me."
Jagr has 28 goals and 34 assists in 43 career games against the Maple Leafs, including one goal this season.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been one of the league's top netminders in 2007-08, posting a 2.20 GAA and six shutouts. But he's struggled in December, posting a 4-4-2 record and a 3.13 GAA.
In his last three road contests, he's allowed 15 goals for a 5.09 GAA. He's 4-4-0 against Toronto in his career with a 3.66 GAA, and has lost four of his last five.
Associated Press
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app?gameNumber=561&gameType=2&page=Preview&season=20072008&service=page
I hope Toskala can play tonight, im sick of watching Raycroft giving 4 goals a game, so if Toskala can't play i hope to see Clemmensen.
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"It's Evolution Baby"
Montreal '00; Toronto '03; Montreal '03; Kitchener '05; London '05; Hamilton '05; Toronto '05; Toronto '06 x2; Boston '06; Toronto '08 x2 (Eddie)
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Coach Paul Maurice wasn't as lucky.
The Maple Leafs took eight penalties in the first half of the game alone and fell behind the New York Rangers 5-0. They basically could have turned the lights out at that point as the Rangers went on to win 6-1.
``That's a tough game to sit through when you're getting beaten that bad that early,'' said Maurice.
None of the 19,408 fans at Air Canada Centre will take issue with his point. Only a couple thousand people were left in the stands when the final buzzer sounded.
It's the third time this season Toronto has been thoroughly embarrassed at home as both Carolina and Washington beat the Maple Leafs 7-1 here in October. After playing the last seven games on the road, this one might have been even tougher to take.
``It's no fun doing that in front of your home crowd,'' said Leafs forward Alexander Steen. ``The Rangers came in and they handed it to us in front of our home fans.
``It's not something that we enjoy for sure. I don't know what else to say _ it's tough losing, especially this way.''
Jaromir Jagr lead the way for the Rangers with a goal and three assists. Petr Prucha, with two, Blair Betts, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka also scored for New York (19-15-4).
Backup goaltender Steve Valiquette made 27 saves for his second win of the year. Both have come in this building.
``It was an outstanding game for us, probably our best effort of the year,'' he said. ``There's something about coming to Toronto.''
Darcy Tucker broke Valiquette's shutout bid at 8:20 of the third period with what turned out to be the lone goal for the Maple Leafs (15-16-8).
Toronto allowed five power-play goals during the game, which is more than it gave up during its entire seven-game road trip. The Maple Leafs were only scored on three times while a man down during that stretch.
``Tonight was obviously an awful hockey game for our team,'' said Leafs captain Mats Sundin. ``We went to the penalty box way too many times.''
Betts opened the scoring at 12:29, while the teams were playing at even strength. Raycroft was hugging the right post as Betts came out from behind the net, but the Rangers centre somehow squeezed a shot through him.
Soft goals like that one have plagued the Leafs goalie since he arrived in Toronto before last season.
``The first one sucked and then we didn't recover from it,'' said Raycroft.
Jagr made it 2-0 a little over three minutes later. He slid the puck into an empty net after Raycroft had come out of his crease to make a nice stop on a point shot. Jagr now has three goals in two games after being held scoreless in 10.
The game really opened up in the second period. Toronto was two men down for a total of three minutes 52 seconds during the frame and the Rangers had three power-play goals. Prucha converted a pass from Sean Avery at 3:58, Shanahan beat Raycroft with a one-timer at 7:54 and Straka snuck a point shot by him at 10:31.
That's not how the Leafs had envisioned things happening when they were in the dressing room during the first intermission.
``We tried to go back out in the second and have a good couple first shifts,'' said Tucker. ``But we took some penalties and boom, they picked us apart on the power play.''
Maurice pulled Raycroft for Scott Clemmensen after the fifth goal and it was pretty clear at that point that the game was over.
The Rangers were already looking ahead to Sunday's game against Montreal.
``At a certain point tonight, (we) started thinking about tomorrow night's game and keeping shifts short and rolling the lines over and playing a safe, smart third period,'' said Shanahan.
Prucha beat Clemmensen at 1:09 of the third period with yet another power-play goal to make it 6-0. He was parked at the side of the net and took a great cross-ice pass from Brandon Dubinsky.
Tucker scored at 8:20 after being sent in alone by Mark Bell and beating Valiquette to the glove side.
It was one of the few moments worthy of a cheer during a frustrating evening for the home fans. The Maple Leafs now have two days of practice before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on New Year's Day.
Maurice refused to disclose what message he had for his team after the loss to the Rangers.
``There are some things you should just keep to yourself,'' he said.
Notes: It was the sixth time the Maple Leafs have allowed five goals or more at home this season and 10th time overall ...The announced attendance at Air Canada Centre was 19,408 ... Dubinsky had three assists for the Rangers ... John Pohl, Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman were healthy scratches for the Maple Leafs ... It was Avery's first game at the ACC since having a scuffle with Tucker during the warmup on Nov. 10 ... This was the final meeting of the regular season between the teams. Toronto took the series 2-1-1.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: JAROMIR JAGR
2nd: MARTIN STRAKA
3rd: PETR PRUCHA
Winning Goaltender:
Stephen Valiquette
Losing Goaltender:
Andrew Raycroft
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=561
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013