450 Wins for Curtis Joseph

The 4-3 overtime win over the Thrashers at the ACC last night was easily Curtis Joseph's best performance since his return to the Leafs ... although in fairness it was versus Atlanta. The victory was a significant one. It was the classy veteran's first win of the season, the 450th of his career and the first since April 5 with the Flames. But fans don't care about details and neither does Cujo. Nevertheless, he appreciated the moment.

"Wins are the most important measure for goalies, I think," Joseph said of his 29-save performance. "It's certainly a great accomplishment each win you get later in your career. It certainly wasn't to pass anybody, but it's a nice round number."

Joseph still ranks fourth in NHL history with his 450 wins behind Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour and he's locked in, not moving up any time soon.

In any case, it was a little bit of retro Leafs feeling in the building, with 19,000 fans chanting "Cu-Jo, Cu-Jo" in the second period as he withstood a barrage of Thrasher shots on back-to-back power plays, preserving a 2-2 tie. He was named the game's first star and when he skated on to the ice, the love-in started up again.

"You block out the negative stuff, but you hear the good stuff," Joseph said. "It's a great feeling. They want you to do well for sure. This is my dream job and sometimes you don't realize it till you're gone."

It's funny he should say that. Was last night the beginning of an unofficial and brief farewell tour - without the parting gifts - for the popular 41-year-old?

Think about the unusual Leafs decision to start Joseph at all in the midst of a three-game losing skid and then announce in advance that he would also start versus the Sabres. It was a head-scratcher for many. The Leafs may have started Joseph to get that pesky milestone win out of the way against one of the league's doormats out of loyalty. After all, the team knows that, "What the hey, it can't hurt our playoff chances."

Another factor may be that GM Brian Burke knows it will be relatively painless to get out from under Joseph's one-year, $700,000 (U.S.) contract. With Joseph out of the way, he can get rookie Justin Pogge into the mix then maybe look to deal Vesa Toskala.

At the same time, Burke as the newcomer doesn't want to appear like a heartless boor. The Leafs want the classy veteran to go out having proved that he can still play rather than callously releasing the loyal warrior without a final kick at the can.

Think about it. The last time the Leafs had won a game before yesterday, they were playing the same Thrashers, Dec. 22 in Atlanta. With Toskala suffering a groin injury, instead of entrusting the blue ice to Joseph, already on hand, they called up the 22-year-old Pogge from the Marlies.

So, eight days later, same opponent, same need to rest Toskala, why not call Pogge up again to face a team that he beat in his debut? Why not repeat a formula that produced a victory just a week ago? The next night, when the Leafs returned home to face the Stars on Dec. 23, the night after Pogge's debut, with Toskala still feeling groin woes, coach Ron Wilson wouldn't give Joseph the start. Instead, he sat on the bench for the first seven goals against Toskala before entering in relief.

The Leafs' philosophy somehow changed in the space of a week. After three straight losses by the frying Finn heading into last night, instead of Pogge, Joseph got the nod. One may be excused for thinking Joseph's swan song is at hand. If he is indeed going to exit stage right - certainly not a slam-dunk - it should be with the dignity he deserves. The Leafs, if that is the plan, seem to be allowing that to happen.

Leafs need to ticket for Tavares lottery

It's a derby in which the Maple Leafs, not yet bad enough to get better, must have a horse

Brian Burke knows it, Dave Nonis knows it and even Ron Wilson, you have to believe, knows it.

John Tavares' special performance on a big stage for Team Canada in the opening game of the world junior championship in Ottawa on Friday night was just the latest piece of compelling evidence that made it clear the Leafs need to be at least in a position to win the draft lottery and land the No. 1 overall pick next June.

True, the world juniors is just one competition, and in an 8-1 trampling of the Czech Republic, there were a few Canadians who looked flashy on the attack.

But Tavares' two goals were both scored early when the game was competitive, and his setup to Angelo Esposito displayed the kind of on-ice vision that scouts love to see from elite players.

That it happened as the Leafs were simultaneously showing how lousy they can be in Long Island without a special player up front to make a difference seemed, well, painfully symbolic.

For those who fallaciously argue that the Leafs are basically a .500 team and therefore an over-achieving squad on the rise, ask yourself this: If they lost 82 straight games in overtime and thus ended the season with 82 points, would they still be .500?

Just wondering.

After temporarily losing his status as the No. 1 prospect available in the world to Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman, meanwhile, Tavares appeared to have won that honour back before the world juniors even started after a strong half-season in Oshawa.

While former Leaf GM Cliff Fletcher argued earlier this year that there are no franchise players available in the '09 draft, Tavares and Hedman may prove him wrong.

As of yesterday, the lowest five teams in the NHL - and thus the clubs with the potential to land the No. 1 pick in June via the draft lottery - were the Islanders, Lightning, Thrashers, Blues and, surprise surprise, the Senators.

The Leafs, after humiliating losses to Dallas and Long Island, sat 23rd yesterday, otherwise known as no man's land. Last year, being in that kind of position cost them first-, second- and third-round picks to move up from the seventh pick (after finishing 24th overall) but didn't get them within shouting distance of Steven Stamkos or Drew Doughty.

They now have no second- or third-rounder next June, and no second- or third-rounder in 2010. So that's the kind of expensive transaction they just can't afford to make again any time soon.

(Interestingly, the five teams that drafted after the Leafs last June and didn't sacrifice draft picks to move up still corralled prospects as promising as steady Luke Schenn. Vancouver, for instance, snagged Canadian national junior team star Cody Hodgson at 10th overall, and imagine the rejoicing in Leaf Nation today if this talented young man were owned by Toronto's NHL entry.) After 35 games, the Leafs go into Washington tonight again sitting too high in the standings to have a shot at the most coveted teenagers in the world next June. That said, they have both the time to get worse and clearly the potential to be much worse after their dreadful performance on Long Island.

Wilson, as a first-year coach on a long-term deal, can at least comfort himself knowing that if the Leafs finish low enough to land Tavares or Hedman, he'll actually get the chance to coach them.

Now Burke's got to manoeuvre the Leafs to where they need to be. While goaltending that wavers between acceptable and atrocious will help, it still won't be simple.

The Atlantas and Tampas of the NHL's nether regions, you see, will be difficult to overcome.

Then again, nobody said getting to the bottom was going to be easy.

Leaf guns no match for Caps

WASHINGTON-Suddenly, a Maple Leafs offence that seemed so surprisingly explosive just a week ago, has dried up.

And so have Toronto's victories.

So last night, when it finally appeared the Leafs were getting the goaltending necessary to win, the goals just weren't there to cover up for the defensive gaffes the way they once were.

So the Leafs, who for the second time this month played a mostly solid game against Alexander Ovechkin and the dynamic Caps, lost 4-1. It was their third consecutive defeat, a stretch in which they have scored four times. On this two-game road swing, Toronto produced two goals from Lee Stempniak and, last night, one from Niklas Hagman.

"Bottom line is we can't win a game scoring just one goal," said forward Nik Antropov. "I don't think we're going to the net as hard as we can go. (Washington goaltender Jose) Theodore was leaving lots of rebounds there but none of us was there to tap them in."

That lack of production won't be helped by the loss of No.1 centre Matt Stajan for up to two weeks. He suffered a freak eye injury Saturday when he was hit with a soccer ball during warm-up. The Leafs just don't have the depth up front that the Caps are showing themselves to possess with their own mounting injuries.

Puzzling about this Toronto drought is that, in the previous six games that produced five wins, the Leafs were on fire with 27 goals, including a stretch of 18 in three games.

"There's some things we've gotten away from offensively. We're not shooting enough pucks towards the net and creating scrambly situations," said coach Ron Wilson.

Despite the pop-gun attack, the Leafs were hanging in with time ticking down in the second period. No easy feat considering Washington is now 15-1-1 on its own ice this season.

It was 1-1 late in the middle frame when the Leafs decided to throw the puck away a couple of times, including a giveaway by Mikhail Grabovski at the Toronto blue line. Not a smart move when, a) it was a four-on-four situation and the Leafs skaters had been caught out on a long shift, and, b) one of the Washington skaters was Ovechkin.

"We should have realized the time, the score and who was on the ice," said Wilson. "When the best player in the league is on the ice, or one of the best, you can't mismanage the puck and we did."

Ovechkin steamed down the right wing and snapped a shot that squeezed between goaltender Vesa Toskala's left arm and body. That gave Washington a 2-1 lead with 10 seconds remaining in the period.

"That goal killed us," said Antropov. "You just can't make those mistakes in our zone."

"Turnovers have been killing us and it happened again tonight," said defenceman Ian White.

Another giveaway by Tomas Kaberle with less than five minutes remaining allowed Brooks Laich to pop in his second of the game for a 3-1 lead. Then Ovechkin clinched matters with his second of the game, and 12th in the last 10 games, into an empty net.

The goal helped prolong what has been a remarkable run for the Caps, who have won six straight games on their own ice despite numerous injuries. Last night they were without, among others, Alexander Semin (back), Tomas Fleischmann (pneumonia) and Sergei Fedorov (shoulder), three players who would probably form Toronto's top line if they wore blue and white.

Stajan eyeing down time

WASHINGTON-Matt Stajan's status for tonight, like his vision, is a little fuzzy.

In a freak accident, the Maple Leafs centre was hit in the eye with a soccer ball before yesterday's practice here as he and his teammates played a common limbering-up game. Stajan's vision was blurred, according to coach Ron Wilson, so the team had him forgo practice and, instead, sent him for further examination, the results of which weren't immediately available.

"I don't know what the prognosis is," said Wilson.

Before games and practices, it's typical to see a few of the players in shorts, T-shirts and running shoes under the stands in a circle, kicking a ball, trying to keep it from touching the ground. While the players have a few laughs, these being top-level athletes, it can get fairly competitive as players lunge and stretch to keep the ball in play.

Stajan's injury is not thought to be overly serious but if he has to sit out against the Capitals here tonight, his likely replacement in the Toronto lineup will be veteran Jamal Mayers.

Mayers has been out since breaking his right hand on Dec. 1 when he slid into a goalpost during a game in Los Angeles. He had an X-ray taken on Tuesday that showed the bone had healed and he is hoping to receive final medical clearance today. If he gets it, he'll be back whether Stajan can play or not.

"Obviously, they were happy with the direction it's heading in. Now I think it's just based on how it feels and my pain tolerance," said the 34-year-old Mayers. "Hopefully I'll be in there."

The news was not so good for defenceman Mike Van Ryn, who is dealing with his second concussion of the season, this one suffered when the Leafs played at Boston on Dec. 18. Van Ryn was on this trip with the team but went home yesterday morning.

"He's going to be out a while," said Wilson. "He doesn't feel well. We just have to be patient till he feels well."

If Stajan misses any time, it will be a significant loss for Toronto. The 25-year-old impressed this season by working his way back from being a healthy scratch early in the campaign to being nearly a point-a-game player as the Leafs' No. 1 centre.

Playing with wingers Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky, Stajan has six points in the last four games. Antropov went through a recent stretch where he had nine points in four games and the trio found some chemistry.

Nikolai Kulemin, the highly touted Russian who has yet to find his scoring touch in the NHL, worked out on the top line yesterday.

"Hopefully (Stajan) is okay," said Antropov. "But that's sport today; somebody can get injured and we've got people to replace him. Obviously someone is going to be new on our line so we just have to get used to each other and play as simple as we can."

The banged-up Capitals may be without several stalwarts, including Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin and Mike Green, for tonight's game against the Leafs. But Toronto will still have to contend with whiz kid Alexander Ovechkin, who scored another dazzler on Friday, his 23rd goal of the season.

With that in mind, Wilson did a lot of work with his defencemen during practice yesterday, putting them in positions where they were facing one-on-one counterattacks and getting them to concede less room.

Winger overlooked in OHL draft now playing on Canada's top line; `A dream come true'

OTTAWA-Chris DiDomenico appears to be adding another chapter to his never-quit, feel-good, out-of-nowhere story that landed him on Team Canada.

The Woodbridge native and Toronto Maple Leaf draft pick finds himself skating on Canada's top line, with John Tavares and Angelo Esposito, at the world junior hockey championship.

Not bad for a kid who has never represented Canada before and who was overlooked two years running in the OHL draft only to land with the Saint John expansion team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

"It could be motivation for younger kids who didn't get drafted in the OHL, that they can find a future somewhere in hockey," said DiDomenico.

"A few years ago, I was playing midget AAA. This is a dream come true for me so far.

"Growing up, watching (this tournament) with my dad. I couldn't ask for a better thing than to put on this red and white jersey."

One of Team Canada coach Pat Quinn's chief worries was finding the proper wingers to play with Tavares. Quinn seems to have found some chemistry with Esposito and DiDomenico.

"He (DiDomenico) has got good hockey smarts," said Quinn. "He has an ability to play a two-way game. He gets himself in good positions. He can make plays."

Quinn said Esposito - a one-time phenom who made this team in his fourth attempt - got the prime real estate on Tavares' other wing through hard work.

"I don't think we gave him any leeway; he earned it," said Quinn. "And he's changing his game. He was an offensive element. That offence started to dry up for him and he figured out he'd better be a better player in a lot of different ways."

The line clicked in the opener, combining for four goals in the 8-1 win over the Czech Republic, with Tavares scoring twice, Esposito and DiDomenico one each.

"We're working hard, there's chemistry between us," said DiDomenico. "During the exhibition games, we didn't score enough. But now we're getting our chemistry back."

There's pressure, though, that comes with landing on the first line.

"There's going to be quite a bit of pressure because of the offensive ability (Tavares) brings to the team," said DiDomenico. "You've got to put that aside, you got to do whatever the coach asks. If he wants me to play more of a defensive role so Johnny can take more risks, then I'm going to have to do it."

Esposito says he doesn't feel the pressure quite as much, thanks to Tavares.

"Johnny's a great player and playing with great players makes it that much easier," said Esposito. "My job is to come with a lot of energy and just move my feet. Johnny finds you on the ice. Me and Chris, we just have to make sure we're always moving our feet and creating things.''

Tavares, who played against DiDomenico in leagues around the GTA, says the line is improving.

"We're getting a little more used to each other and we're communicating a lot more, which is important," said Tavares.

As with all matters in the round-robin portion of this tournament, Quinn believes the Tavares-Esposito-DiDomenico unit is still a work in progress.

"We tried it a couple of days in the (pre-tournament games)," Quinn said of the line. "It was spotty. They had some good shifts and some not-so-good shifts.

"We think if we can get some more consistency, it will be a good unit."

Leafs fall to Islanders

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Bill Guerin scored twice for 400 career goals, and the New York Islanders stopped their longest losing streak in 11 years with a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

New York goalie Rick DiPietro made his return after a 27-game absence following knee surgery and stopped 28 shots for his first win of the season. DiPietro also notched an assist, the 14th of his career.

Kyle Okposo and Freddy Meyer also scored for the Isles, who had not won since beating Ottawa on November 29. They had been 0-9-1 in the 10 games since.

Lee Stempniak notched the only goal for the Maple Leafs, who have lost two straight games. Vesa Toskala was unimpressive in net, allowing four goals on 31 shots in taking the loss.

DiPietro made his presence known early, assisting on the Isles' first goal. The goaltender came out of his net to dish the puck to Okposo, who flew down the right side of the ice and directed the puck toward the net from a bad angle. Somehow Toskala whiffed on the incoming shot, and it ended up in the back of the net just under four minutes into the game.

Toronto tied it up later in the first, when Stempniak took a rebound off DiPietro's right pad and shoved it into the net at 15:44.

New York went back on top, as Guerin re-directed Joshua Bailey's wrister out of the air and past Toskala 6:27 into the second period.

The Islanders took a two-goal lead early in the third. Guerin found a loose puck in front of the net and slammed it home before Toskala could locate it just 2 1/2 minutes into the frame.

Meyer added a goal for New York on a slapshot from the slot to make it 4-1, and the Isles cruised to the victory from there.

Game Notes

DiPietro holds the single-season and all-time records for assists as a Islanders goaltender, recording his sixth of the 2007-08 season and 13th of his career on March 12, 2008 against Tampa Bay...Bailey was originally credited with Guerin's first goal, which would have marked Bailey's first career NHL tally, but replays showed that Guerin clearly tipped the puck...Doug Weight, who leads the Isles with 29points, sat out the contest with a groin injury...The season series is tied, 1-1.

Goalie debate heating up in Leafland

To casual Leafs fans (if there is such a thing) one might have thought there was legitimate cause for concern following the Buds' 8-2 pounding at the hands of the Sean Avery-deprived Dallas Stars last night at the ACC. Not so, according to coach Ron (Pollyanna) Wilson, the eternal optimist who always sees the net as half-full.

According to the coach, goalie Vesa Toskala played well, despite being yanked and booed off the ice after allowing his seventh goal midway through the second period.

"He didn't have a chance on any of those goals," Wilson said to a stunned media at his post-game briefing. "I don't think it was fair that the fans got on him if that was their intention. Shot, rebound, shot, rebound and then someone puts it in the empty net. It certainly wasn't Vesa's fault, at all."

Hmm. Wilson reiterated his feelings that the schedule-makers pretty much set the stage for his squad's horrible contra-performance last night, as if nobody else had ever played back-to-back games within the same time zone in the history of the league. And yes, the goaltender had been sent home from Atlanta on Sunday to nurse his slightly pulled groin back to health - and rest up.

"It was more fatigue than anything," Wilson argued. "We didn't have our legs. We didn't have our minds. Unfortunately it got ugly. It's already behind me."

Which also can describe seven of the 27 pucks directed at Toskala in his 31 minutes and 35 seconds of work. For the first five, the boos rained down on Toskala. Then after the sixth, chants of Coo-jo, Coo-jo could be heard in the expensive seats.

Finally, after the seventh Stars marker, Curtis Joseph began to stir, located his helmet and mask, pushed himself gingerly over the boards and headed past a probably grateful Toskala to take up his position between the Leafs pipes.

"I guess we were a little bit tired after the road and there wasn't much gas left in the tank," Toskala said, paraphrasing the captain of the Exxon Valdez. "Anyhow, we weren't very good tonight. The fans, they're paying good money to come watch us and we didn't play very well. We can't control the fans, but we have to play better."

That's a huge understatement by Toskala, who was removed from a work in progress for the second time in four games, over six days. So, yeah, they gotta play better.

"It is the coach's decision when they make moves," Toskala shrugged. "As long as I stay in (the game), I just try to do my best. I can't really control the fans."

Nor many of the juicy rebounds on this frightful night that dropped the Leafs back to .500 and may once again cause fans of Leaf Nation to wonder whether there should indeed be a three-way goalie controversy in the New Year.

So if not Toskala, then who? Joseph is not the answer, at least clearly not in Wilson's mind. Last night was just the 41-year-old veteran's second appearance since Nov. 25, both in relief. It shows how little trust the coach has in Joseph that even in Cujo's last game, Dec. 18 in Boston, after the Leafs pulled to within 6-5 after two, Toskala was re-inserted for the third period and an 8-5 loss.

The fact is the future played on Monday in Atlanta. With their struggling starter ready for a night off, the Leafs called up the Marlies' 22-year-old Justin Pogge. Where does that leave Joseph? It has been 263 days since Joseph won, but he hangs on. His next win will be the 450th of his career. He wants it, but the question is will the classy veteran get his milestone before the Leafs bring Pogge up for good? And once Pogge is up, he will play. What then of Toskala? The debate is downplayed by the Leafs, but it won't stop fans from speculating.

As Vesa says, "They pay good money."

Dallas skates to 8-2 win

TORONTO - Almost six minutes remained on the clock when the tenor of the jeering shifted to disgust from mere disquiet.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans had been warned their club might be a little tired but not comatose like it was in the first period Tuesday night.

The Leafs were down 4-0 - which seemed like rock bottom until the Dallas Stars found another drill with which to probe even deeper. There was a stretch in the second period when the Leafs had registered nine shots on net, but had allowed seven goals.

Toronto suffered its worst loss of the season in its last game before the Christmas break, an 8-2 defeat in front of a stunned Air Canada Centre crowd. Goaltender Vesa Toskala was, mercifully, relieved in the second period by Curtis Joseph after allowing seven goals on 27 shots.

"It's just one game on the calendar," Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "It's not any reason to overreact or second-guess anything. You could see this coming. We were playing a fresh team. Had they played (Monday) night, it might have been a little fairer for us, but it wasn't, so you just deal with it and move on."

Dallas forward James Neal recorded his first career hat trick. Jason Blake and Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Leafs, but only after Dallas eased up on the pedal.

Toronto goaltenders had been a hot topic of discussion long before the opening faceoff. Prospect Justin Pogge had earned the first win of his National Hockey League career on Monday in a 6-2 win over the Thrashers in Atlanta, an audition that appeared to merit a second look.

Toskala missed the game with a tender groin. Joseph had been struggling, allowing 10 goals in his previous two appearances in relief. And when the Leafs held an abbreviated morning skate Tuesday - their flight from Atlanta had only arrived at about 1 a.m. - only Pogge and Toskala participated.

Wilson opted not to address the media in the morning. His pending decision was instead left open to speculation. Pogge was listed a healthy scratch, and it might have been in his best interest.

Wilson first identified the game as a concern last week. Toronto had capped its first three-game winning streak of the season, but the coach cast a wary eye into the future, knowing the Leafs would face the Stars after playing three games in five days on the road.

Dallas had not played since Saturday night. The Stars were ranked 14th in the Western Conference standings, after opening the season with a rash of injuries and one major distraction: the now-suspended Sean Avery.

But they were rested, and they were beginning to return to health. It quickly became obvious just how significant their advantage would be - skating circles around their weary hosts like they were on a permanent power play.


Dallas scored on its third shot of the game when winger Neal buried a rebound behind Toskala. The Stars continued to press, building a 2-0 lead five minutes later when the Leafs could not clear the zone, allowing forward Mike Ribeiro to fire a beautiful pass from the side boards to linemate Steve Ott, who had parked himself in an empty space next to the post.

The Leafs looked exhausted. They lost battles for the puck, staggered around in their own end, struggled mightily on the breakout and, on the third goal, failed to slow an opposing forward. Fabian Brunnstrom gave the Stars a 3-0 lead midway through the first period when he broke in, swooped behind defenceman Jeff Finger and beat Toskala on the far side.

It was only the seventh shot Toskala faced.

Brad Richards gave Dallas a 4-0 lead on the power play four minutes later. Krystopher Barch and Ribeiro also tallied for Dallas.

Comatose Leafs seeing Stars

TORONTO - Almost six minutes remained on the clock when the tenor of the jeering shifted to disgust from mere disquiet.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans had been warned their club might be a little tired but not comatose like it was in the first period Tuesday night.

The Leafs were down 4-0 - which seemed like rock bottom until the Dallas Stars found another drill with which to probe even deeper. There was a stretch in the second period when the Leafs had registered nine shots on net, but had allowed seven goals.

Toronto suffered its worst loss of the season in its last game before the Christmas break, an 8-2 defeat in front of a stunned Air Canada Centre crowd. Goaltender Vesa Toskala was, mercifully, relieved in the second period by Curtis Joseph after allowing seven goals on 27 shots.

"It's just one game on the calendar," Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "It's not any reason to overreact or second-guess anything. You could see this coming. We were playing a fresh team. Had they played (Monday) night, it might have been a little fairer for us, but it wasn't, so you just deal with it and move on."

Dallas forward James Neal recorded his first career hat trick. Jason Blake and Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Leafs, but only after Dallas eased up on the pedal.

Toronto goaltenders had been a hot topic of discussion long before the opening faceoff. Prospect Justin Pogge had earned the first win of his National Hockey League career on Monday in a 6-2 win over the Thrashers in Atlanta, an audition that appeared to merit a second look.

Toskala missed the game with a tender groin. Joseph had been struggling, allowing 10 goals in his previous two appearances in relief. And when the Leafs held an abbreviated morning skate Tuesday - their flight from Atlanta had only arrived at about 1 a.m. - only Pogge and Toskala participated.

Wilson opted not to address the media in the morning. His pending decision was instead left open to speculation. Pogge was listed a healthy scratch, and it might have been in his best interest.

Wilson first identified the game as a concern last week. Toronto had capped its first three-game winning streak of the season, but the coach cast a wary eye into the future, knowing the Leafs would face the Stars after playing three games in five days on the road.

Dallas had not played since Saturday night. The Stars were ranked 14th in the Western Conference standings, after opening the season with a rash of injuries and one major distraction: the now-suspended Sean Avery.

But they were rested, and they were beginning to return to health. It quickly became obvious just how significant their advantage would be - skating circles around their weary hosts like they were on a permanent power play.

Dallas scored on its third shot of the game when winger Neal buried a rebound behind Toskala. The Stars continued to press, building a 2-0 lead five minutes later when the Leafs could not clear the zone, allowing forward Mike Ribeiro to fire a beautiful pass from the side boards to linemate Steve Ott, who had parked himself in an empty space next to the post.

The Leafs looked exhausted. They lost battles for the puck, staggered around in their own end, struggled mightily on the breakout and, on the third goal, failed to slow an opposing forward. Fabian Brunnstrom gave the Stars a 3-0 lead midway through the first period when he broke in, swooped behind defenceman Jeff Finger and beat Toskala on the far side.

It was only the seventh shot Toskala faced.

Brad Richards gave Dallas a 4-0 lead on the power play four minutes later. Krystopher Barch and Ribeiro also tallied for Dallas.

Cujo focused on wins not retirement rumours

ATLANTA-Curtis Joseph was taken aback by the question, but admitted it was a "good one."

The question? Are you going to retire now that Justin Pogge is being showcased with the Leafs?

"That's a good question (but) no," Joseph said here yesterday as the Leafs faced the Thrashers.

"I feel good, and I've been through streaks where you get four starts and when you play 10 times in a row. The major thing is focus, get into a rhythm, and from there, things should turn around."

The "R" word has been a quiet topic of conversation around the Leafs, largely out of respect for Joseph, the 41-year-old.

Unfortunately for Joseph, age and numbers - 0-4 and some sub-par statistics - have, arguably, caught up with him. There was even a rumour he was going to hang up his skates over the Christmas break.

"I've only started four games, and that's not a good indicator of how a season's gone," Joseph said.

There has been no indication from the Leafs of a parting of ways with Joseph. One more win would give Joseph 450 and make him one of only four goalies all-time to have reached that plateau.

Leafs coach Ron Wilson also shed some light on what appears to be a long-term plan to have Joseph continue as the backup. Wilson said Pogge's start last night might mark the rookie's one and only start with the Leafs depending on the status of starter Vesa Toskala. Pogge was called up from the Marlies Sunday after Toskala returned to Toronto to nurse a groin muscles problem.

It was believed Pogge's showcase would be for more than one game, and that if he performed well enough, he might force the Leafs hand to keep him in the NHL and prompt a decision on Joseph.

One potential Joseph outcome would be a deal where his contract would end on a mutual agreement, followed by a promotion within the organization, likely at the coaching level (the Ottawa Senators a similar move with veteran defenceman Luke Richardson late last month).

Pogge may yet receive a second, longer look with the Leafs. For now, it appears he will be returned to the Marlies after tonight's game, and continue with the club's plan to make 60-plus starts at the AHL level, then seriously compete for an NHL job next fall at training camp.

He recognizes the Leafs will "go with youth (Pogge)," but his focus lies solely on his next start, and turning around his season so far.

"You don't think about that," Joseph said when asked about whether his performance might ponder him to think about retirement.

"You work hard in practice and prepare for a game, and when you get into one, you play like you always do and hope it's a good game."

Pogge debuts in style

This was either sweet payback for the Toronto Maple Leafs or merely another night's work in a splendid, pre-Christmas surge that has the club challenging to join the playoff drive in the National Hockey League's Eastern Conference.

Whichever way the Leafs view it, their 6-2 triumph over the Atlanta Thrashers Monday night had to be extremely grat-ifying. It moved the club to above .500 -- 14-13-6 -- for the first time since Nov. 13. It also avenged an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the cellar-dwelling Thrashers at the Air Canada Centre Nov. 25.

RECALLED FROM AHL

Goalie Justin Pogge earned a vict-ory in his NHL debut.

The Leafs recalled Pogge Saturday from the AHL's Toronto Marlies after Vesa Toskala aggravated a groin injury against Pittsburgh.

And though Toskala could be back in time for tonight's home encounter with Dallas (7:30 p.m., RSO), it was a promising, if uneventful, start for Pogge, the Leafs' top pick in the 2004 draft.

Toronto is now 5-1 since Dec. 8, and the offence is in high gear after an 18-goal burst on the three-game road trip.

Two-fifths of the way through the season, the club has moved to within three points of playoff territory in the East -- a position few observers felt was achievable at any stage of the season.

Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen returned Saturday from a 21-game absence with a back injury and stoned Tampa Bay by stopping 23 of 24 shots in the third period as the Thrashers won 4-3. Monday night, however, the Leafs scored on their first and fourth shots of the opening frame.

Alexei Ponikarovsky followed his own shot and dribbled a rebound under Lehtonen only 59 seconds into the game.

Scoring machine Jeremy Williams then one-timed Dominic Moore's feed from behind the net high to the glove-side on Lehtonen at 10:43.

It was Williams' fifth goal in six games since being recalled Dec. 7 from the Marlies.

Matt Stajan finished off a lovely, three-way connection with Ponikarovsky and Nik Antropov late in the second period to widen the visitors' lead.

Sundin departs with `bitter taste'

It took six months for Mats Sundin to rekindle his love for playing hockey and only two weeks to decide where.

That he doubted for so long whether any passion for the sport remained was entirely about the Toronto Maple Leafs. His leave-taking of this franchise gutted him. Healing that hurt required time and distance.

"Everything that happened last year, it left a bitter taste," the long-time captain told the Star yesterday, in an interview from Stockholm. "I felt the relationship didn't end in a good way, certainly not how I would have wanted."

It was the Leafs who didn't want him, not the other way around, however much the club tried to frame his departure as a free agent's choice, promoting the fiction of a door that had never slammed shut.

There was only one side that behaved with any class in this breakup, only one estranged ex who took it to heart.

"I've always tried to do what was best for the organization," said Sundin. "That's what I believed at the trade deadline last February, that we still had a chance to make the playoffs and I could help us get there.

"It didn't happen. Then suddenly I was a free agent. I've never been a free agent before, so that was all new to me."

A gallant man to the core, his Scandinavian reserve often misinterpreted as phlegmatic detachment, Sundin won't overtly speak ill of the Leafs, won't let his emotions off the leash.

"I have all the respect in the world for the situation that the Maple Leafs were in at the trade deadline," he said. "I totally respect the business end of hockey and what they were trying to do."

What's implied tacitly, however, is that Sundin doesn't think the respect was mutual after 14 uncomplaining years as a Leaf, and heaven knows there was much to complain about through that stretch. His greatest failing, perhaps, is that he didn't assert himself more vigorously, didn't exploit the power he might have wielded to change the dynamics on a club that never had quite the required components to challenge for a Stanley Cup final.

Indeed, it became necessary to rebuild from the bottom up, without Sundin as part of the equation. But there was no reason, except to deflect criticism of a franchise in full flounder, to cast Sundin as the no-trade anvil last February, when this veto was a privilege negotiated in good faith.

"As I said, I respect their position. But I also feel I made the right decision, for myself and for the team at that time."

Others have accused him of hypocrisy. Sundin's objection to rent-a-player hockey is well documented, a critical reasoning behind declining a trade last winter. Yet here he is, signing on as a Canuck with the season almost half done, providing Vancouver with playoff punch.

While conceding the inconsistency in his views, Sundin counters that the circumstances are exceptional.

"Time was running out. I realized if I was going to play again, I had to start now or I'd lose the whole season. And I did want to play. For a long time, I just wasn't sure of that. But I finally realized how much I missed the game, missed being on the ice, in the dressing room.

"When the opportunity is over, it could be over for good."

Despite what appeared at times like an NHL-wide audition tour, Sundin gave his agent the go-ahead to open hardcore negotiations only two weeks ago. By then, just two teams remained in the serious running, Vancouver and the New York Rangers.

It was not about the money. Languishing so long in indecision limbo, Sundin has actually accepted less than what was on the table in July, when Vancouver - first up to bid - dangled $20 million (all figures U.S.) on a two-year contract. Instead, Sundin reportedly took $8 million - pro-rated - and a $2 million signing bonus on a one-year deal, after which who knows what.

Sundin says he didn't want to cause team disruption, which would have happened in Manhattan, where other trades would have been necessary to clear salary-cap space. It's also unlikely he was enamoured with Tom Renney's D-first orientation. This move also avoids an Eastern Conference confrontation with Toronto.

"It's not a perfect situation, coming in this late. All the other players in the league are in mid-season form. It's going to be a while before I can compete at that level.

"But I just felt that Vancouver seemed like a good fit for me."

And there's this, which many have forgotten: Sundin's entire NHL employment has been north of the border, four years with the Quebec Nordiques before Toronto. He's a Swede but he's also a de facto Canuck.

"I've been in Canada my whole NHL career. I'm excited to be going to Vancouver, another Canadian city. They have good fans there. The team is good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup."

Sundin will arrive in La-La-Land North after the Christmas break, ready for full practices, game good-to-go just a couple of weeks after that.

On Feb. 21, the Canucks are at the Air Canada Centre. Circle the date.

It will be weird.

Says Sundin, sincerely: "The Leafs will always have a special place in my heart."

Another captain cast adrift

And so the dreary saga ends.

Another Maple Leafs captain won't play his final game with the team, something that has become a bit of a tradition in this town - in many NHL towns, to be honest.

Since George Armstrong handed the "C" to Dave Keon, it has been one captain after another either forced out of town or sent packing after being unable to lead the Leafs back to greatness. Keon, then Darryl Sittler, then Rick Vaive, then Rob Ramage, then Wendel Clark, then Doug Gilmour.

Now Mats Sundin, recipient of a one-year contract from the Vancouver Canucks yesterday.

It always ends up this way and, cynically, one might suggest it always produces a nice gate for the Leafs when the former beloved leader comes back with his new team.

In this case, it will be Feb.21 when Sundin comes to town with the Canucks. That suddenly becomes a very hot ticket, doesn't it?

Sundin's departure is more like Keon's, really, than any of the others. Heading to the Western Conference in the middle of the season after skipping the first half is almost like having Keon join the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints in the summer of `75 after Harold Ballard wouldn't let him be traded to the New York Islanders.

In Sundin's case, the Leafs really, really, really wanted to trade him. They tried twice and failed twice.

It had to hurt that after all he'd done, the Leafs only wanted him for what he might bring in a trade of desperation.

Still, any bad feelings there are for the player or the team will subside and one day Sundin's No.13 will join all the other honoured numbers in the rafters of the Air Canada Centre.

That's the way it should be.

Sure, the Leafs ended up with nothing for Sundin, but that was more their fault than his. He never wanted to leave.

Having Sundin join the Canucks now is actually an event that should significantly benefit the Leafs and new GM Brian Burke.

The arms race, you see, is now on.

New York didn't land Sundin, so with their puny offence still a major problem despite their fine record, the Rangers will have to start looking elsewhere for help. Ditto for other Western Conference powers keeping an eye on the `Nucks and teams like Philadelphia and Montreal that coveted Sundin can also turn the page.

The signing of Sundin, you see, breaks the log jam. Everyone who didn't get him can aggressively turn to Plan B and a team like the Leafs, who will most certainly be sellers between now and the March trade deadline, just saw their assets increase in value.

Nik Antropov, for instance, is worth more than he was yesterday. Unless Atlanta decides to trade Ilya Kovalchuk or Tampa tries to move Marty St. Louis or Minnesota opts to dump Marian Gaborik, Antropov might end up being the best forward available by the deadline.

The last time the Canucks won a lottery like this, they landed 36-year-old Mark Messier in the summer of 1997.

That didn't turn out so well, did it? Similarly, it's no lock that Sundin will either deliver a Stanley Cup or even be a major factor if the Canucks qualify for post-season play.

It doesn't matter if he's in good shape. He's got to get up to speed in a league that's playing at a supersonic pace these days and he'll have to do it while getting used to major travel for the first time in his career.

However J.P. Barry was able to sell this, there's absolutely no guarantee that Sundin will be a difference-maker any more than rental Peter Forsberg was for Nashville in the '07 playoffs.

Still, a Vancouver club that was already the ninth-best scoring team in the NHL has more firepower on paper today than it did before signing Sundin.

Interesting, really, that Dave Nonis refused to sacrifice prospects to land a Sundin-like talent last winter and has now landed as part of Brian Burke's team in Toronto, while Sundin himself lands in Vancouver.

For the Leafs, it's the official end to an era, one in which Sundin did so many outstanding things and developed from a young, talented player into a hard-nosed playoff performer and inspiring captain.

He was great to watch and always a gentleman. In the end, however, he was just another Leaf captain whose time ran out.

Williams ready to rope in new job with Leafs

Jeremy Williams seems to have the aura and the skill of a natural goal scorer. He is almost scripted for it, a baby-faced young gun with a knack for getting on the scoresheet at first opportunity.

He's certainly become the answer to a hockey trivia question: Name the current Leaf who has scored in his first game over each of the last four seasons.

Novelty aside, Williams is also 24 and approaching a very real crossroads in his career. The time has come for him to shed his prospect tag and take his career to the next level by landing a full-time job in the NHL.

If he succeeds, he'll have a built in, all-Canadian Prairie background story to spice up his biography.

"I grew up on a farm (outside Regina) and my dad kept rodeo stock (horses) ... we had an indoor and outdoor roping arena and I used to do a lot of roping as a kid," said Williams, who has two goals in two games since being recalled from the Marlies, and six in 22 games spread out over four seasons since the Leafs made him their fifth choice, 220th overall, in the 2003 draft.

Williams' parents, Kevin and Joan, kept a large horse farm near Glenavon, Sask., about 160 kilometres outside Regina, that, according to a 2006 census, was a village with a population of 104.

Winter weather dropped to -40 C levels, and while Williams took up hockey, he fed horses, mended miles of fences, and stacked hay bales.

He was a natural at hockey, and at riding and roping. By the time he reached his early teens, he had to make a choice.

"I stopped (rodeo) when I was 13 or 14, because I had to make a choice about one sport or the other," said Williams, whose 13-year-old sister, Hailee, competes in high school rodeo.

"Obviously I chose hockey, and my dad wasn't happy at the time, but I think he's happy now."

Williams ultimately graduated to the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, and while he started slowly, he was a 41- and 52-goal scorer in his final two seasons.

What began attracting scouts, and eventually the Leafs, was his shooting ability. Williams possesses a quick, NHL-quality release. He has an above-average shot that can be deadly because he can get it off in an instant from almost any angle, and in heavy traffic.

"Every since junior I was known as a shooter and I think having a farm in Saskatchewan had a lot to do with it," Williams said.

"My father made ice all the time, and it was -40 in the winter and me and my brother (Tristan) were outside, just a couple of kids shooting pucks up against the barn all day long."

The Leafs have been giving Williams "looks" over the past four seasons, but have never opened the door to a full-time job. They still want to see him develop his strength (to go up against 6-foot-4 NHL defenceman), and temper his hockey instincts to include a devotion to two-way play.

Still, the Leafs refuse to bridle Williams by placing him on a fourth line and telling him to forget offence in favour of checking. Leafs coach Ron Wilson, who has seen the Marlies a few times this season, realizes Williams shines on offence, and has dropped him on a line with speedster Jason Blake and Dominic Moore, also a gifted skater, who is solid defensively.

"We put Jeremy on a line with guys who are fast and working hard, and you do that so he'll look good, too. He won't get a chance for much offence on a fourth line," Wilson said.

Williams and fellow Marlie Jaime Sifers were recalled early last week after a weekend where Nik Hagman and Luke Schenn were lost to injury.

Both have played extremely well in their two games so far, and Wilson said they have earned a chance at another game or two despite the fact Hagman is expected to return for Tuesday's game against New Jersey.

Nonis follows Burke to Leafs

Dave Nonis succeeded Brian Burke as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, then followed his mentor to the Anaheim Ducks.

Now he's followed Burke to Toronto.

Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Saturday that Nonis has been named senior vice-president of hockey operations of the team.

"David Nonis brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our hockey staff," said Burke. "We have successfully worked together in the past, and he has a deep understanding of contractual, legal and financial matters as well as scouting and roster management. He'll be an asset to our organization in several areas."

Nonis, 42, recently stepped down after a seven-month stint as the Ducks' senior adviser of hockey operations

Nonis joined the Canucks in 1998 as senior vice-president, director of hockey operations, after serving four seasons as the National Hockey League's manager of hockey operations. With the NHL, Nonis helped craft the 1994 Collective Bargaining Agreement and worked with the league's arbitration team, assisting clubs in preparing for arbitration, researching salaries and interpreting contract language.

In Vancouver, he worked under Burke for six years and became the Canucks' GM in 2004, when Burke left for Anaheim.

A native of Burnaby, B.C., Nonis played hockey for the University of Maine and he served as the Black Bears' captain for two seasons, leading the team to back-to-back NCAA championship tournaments and graduating in 1988. He played one season professionally in Denmark before returning to Maine in 1989 to serve on the coaching staff of his alma mater.

He earned his masters of business administration degree from Maine in 1990 before joining the Canucks staff that year working with corporate contracts, computer scouting and team services. Nonis became the Canucks' chief negotiator of player contracts and assumed responsibility for Vancouver's minor-league affiliate agreement with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

He directed all areas of the Canucks' hockey operations department before being tapped as the ninth, and youngest-ever, general manager of the club May 6, 2004.

Burke lists likes, dislikes

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Luke Schenn is a "building block." Mikhail Grabovski is a "skilled forward." And the Toronto Maple Leafs "need to get bigger right away."

Those are some of the observations Brian Burke made during his first week as the team's general manager.

The 53-year-old is the first to admit that his assessment is premature.

Tonight's game at Air Canada Centre against the Washington Capitals (7 p.m., CBC) will be his fifth.

But after watching the team go 2-2, there are already things that he likes and dislikes with the team.

"When I start with a team in training camp, the 20-game mark is when I make my first assessment," he said. "So I'm still learning on the fly here."

Though there is a lot Burke has gleaned in seven days on the job, a four-game look can also be somewhat misleading.

Tomas Kaberle, who was benched for the entire first period in a 6-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday, has no points and is a minus-4 since Burke arrived.

But the puck-moving defenceman may be Toronto's most talented player.

TRADING FREEZE

"Kaberle is a good player," Burke said. "Whether the cupboard is bare or not, I'm not going to offer an assessment like that until I get farther along."

It is unlikely that Burke, who has set a personal trading freeze from Dec. 9 to Jan. 1, will make any immediate personnel changes in the next three days.

Instead, he plans on using this time to determine which players will fill roles on the team he is building.

Burke said he is looking for skill for his top-six forwards and size for his bottom-six forwards.

"To me, it's like a symphony orchestra," he said. "You got a first (chair) file in, and she's usually elegant, and there's a spotlight on her and she's the last one to sit down. But there's a guy built like me in the back row blowing on a tuba.

"They don't start the show until we're both sitting down."

So far, the Leafs' ensemble appears to be a few performers short.

STAJAN LEADS IN SCORING

Forward Matt Stajan, who is the team's top scorer with 21 points in 25 games, was tied for 45th in the league prior to Friday night's games.

And the team has 12 players who weigh less than 200 pounds.

"With the way I like my teams to play, we need to get bigger right away," Burke said.

"It's not that we don't compete, but we don't always win the battles . . . If you've got a guy battling for the puck and he's outweighed by 30 or 40 pounds, he's going to lose that battle more than he wins that.

"So that's one thing we've got to change.

"But I don't know how we're going to change it."

Indeed, changing the makeup of a team cannot be done overnight.

Burke's predecessor, Cliff Fletcher, had deals in place to move Mats Sun-din, Pavel Kubina and Kaberle at last season's trade deadline. But all three players refused to waive no-trade clauses in their contracts.

Burke, Wilson dynamic duo

This, folks, is going to be quite the duet.

Brian Burke, about to conclude a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract with the Maple Leafs to be their new president and general manager, will inherit as head coach his buddy and former teammate from their Providence College days, Ron Wilson.

"Shooting From the Hip" will now replace "Spirit Is Everything" as the new Leafs corporate motto.

Some days it will be fun, other days angry, a few days sarcastic. But watching Burke and Wilson combine forces for the first time in their long, successful hockey careers will be anything but dull.

Headline writers, sharpen your pencils.

Together, they represent probably the most colourful hockey duo in Toronto since the days when Harold Ballard and King Clancy used to hang out in the bunker at Maple Leaf Gardens.

"It'll either work really well," said one NHL figure who knows both Burke and Wilson well, "or it won't work at all."

Burke and Wilson like to kiddingly call each other "Lou" from the days they played for New Jersey Devils boss Lou Lamoriello at Providence, plus a few less printable names. Wilson loves to tell the story of how he and Burke actually got in a fight in practice at Providence one day. Wilson, the team star, saw Burke coming during a drill and let his stick do the talking. An outraged Burke took offence and grabbed Wilson.

The winner of the scrap? That depends on who's telling the story.

Wilson is among the most cerebral of coaches. He'll talk to you at length about being "bi-handed" like Brett Hull and how brain functions allow left-handers to shoot right-handed effectively. He loves HBO's Mad Men and reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm, thought it was fitting to have Jamal Mayers take a ceremonial faceoff for the Leafs to commemorate the historic election of Barack Obama and loves to have evening Skype teleconference sessions with his 2-year-old grandchild.

Burke, a father of six, believes in beginning all discussions with a verbal equivalent of a ball-peen hammer to the forehead. He loves rum and arguments and is the ultimate partisan, fiercely protective of his players.

Wilson is in the first year of a four-year deal worth in the neighbourhood of $1.6 million (U.S.) per season. Burke will have a deal that runs two years longer at about $2.8 million per season. Only the Jersey combination of Lamoriello and Brent Sutter is believed to earn more.

How will they fare as a GM/coaching team? Based on their respective track records, it seems reasonable to assume they'll at least get the Leafs back to the post-season by 2010 or 2011. Wilson is one of the winningest coaches in NHL history and guided the U.S. team to its upset triumph over Canada in the 1996 World Cup, while Burke won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim two years ago.

While friends, they aren't exactly soulmates and have very different core beliefs on the sport. Burke loves blood 'n' guts hockey, while Wilson was the finesse player who competed in Europe and relies on brains and computers to coach.

Wilson's worst habit, according to some who have worked with him, is to start referring to "I" too much when the going gets tough and his players as "they." Burke is a "we" and "us" guy but also a first-class manipulator of the media.

Burke has fired big-name coaches, including Mike Keenan. He inherited Mike Babcock in Anaheim but refused to offer him more than a one-year contract, so Babcock took the hint and bolted to Detroit.

He could fire Wilson, too, but then again, he might ask him to coach Team USA in the 2010 Olympics.

For both, being employed by the Leafs is the biggest professional opportunity of their lives.

"This may work out because they need each other," one source said.

Now they just have to figure out how to read from the same songbook.

Burke's soon-to-be Leafs play solid in shootout loss to Senators

OTTAWA - Brian Burke, who is set to become the next president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was celebrating U.S. Thanksgiving with his family in Boston on Thursday night.

But there is a good chance the 53-year-old was watching the Leafs game. If so, he had to be somewhat impressed by the team's effort.

In what was likely an audition for their new boss, Toronto lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place. It was the Leafs' fifth straight defeat.

Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa in the shootout, while Nikolai Kulemin and Lee Stempniak were stopped by Alex Auld.

But the reason the game even went to a shootout was because of Vesa Toskala, who stopped 34-of-35 shots.

"That was by far Vesa's best game," said Leafs head coach Ron Wilson, whose club is now 1-4 in the shootout this season. "They've got some great offensive players and he was ready for the task."

The game saw a return to the inter-provincial rivalry that had been missing in past games between Toronto and Ottawa. The Leafs had been guilty of being pushed around in a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday, but they showed more grit against the Senators.

Luke Schenn set the tone early with an open-ice bodycheck on Antoine Vermette. Dominic Moore, who had fought teammate Jeff Finger in practice on Wednesday, then dropped the gloves with Ottawa's Jason Smith. And six-foot-four, 217-pound Andre Deveaux seemed to invoke fear simply by stepping on the ice.

After being recalled from the minors Wednesday, Deveaux played in his first NHL game in place of Jason Blake, who is still suffering from headaches and neck pain after being blindsided by Atlanta's Colby Armstrong on Tuesday.

Wilson praised the 24-year-old Deveaux for filling a much-needed void for the Leafs.

"He was big, physical, talks to the other team and had some great scoring chances," Wilson said of Deveaux, who saw some power-play time. "That's something that we've been without; someone who no one wants to mess with."

Ottawa struck first on a goal by Mike Fisher at 3:54 in the first period. But 59 seconds later, Toronto's Kulemin answered back.

Fisher's goal was somewhat of an accident. The Senators forward, who had missed the last two games with strained ligaments in his knee, was trying to find Shean Donovan with a centering pass, but the puck inadvertently deflected in off defenceman Tomas Kaberle.

Toronto's goal, however, was the result of some solid forechecking from the Leafs. Mikhail Grabovski knocked Senators defenceman Chris Phillips off the puck and slid a gift-wrapped pass to Kulemin.

Despite combining for 19 shots, neither team scored in the second period.

Goaltending was part of the reason. The Leafs had entered the game ranked last in the NHL with 78 goals against, but Toskala, who was given the night off versus the Thrashers, seemed rested and confident in his crease.

"He was awesome for us all night," Schenn said of Toskala.

The 31-year-old netminder was a main reason why Toronto had a chance at victory and why Ottawa's Chris Kelly went home empty-handed. Toskala robbed Kelly on a breakaway in the first and then got his blocker on what seemed to be a sure-goal in the third.

Auld finished with 25 saves.

Stempniak excited about trade

TORONTO - Lee Stempniak knows he should have been upset.

Everyone had told him that being traded is like breaking up with your girlfriend. You are supposed to feel unwanted, unattractive and unappreciated.

But when the St. Louis Blues severed ties with the 25-year-old on Monday, the newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs found it hard not to be happy.

"The first thing my dad said was, 'An Original Six team. How cool is that?' " said Stempniak, who grew up cheering for the Buffalo Sabres in West Seneca, N. Y.

"I guess it's been easier than I thought it would be. I spent four years in St. Louis and enjoyed my time there. But it quickly went to excitement to come here to a team that's going in the right direction and everything that comes with playing in Toronto. Who wouldn't want to play here?"

Stempniak, whom the Leafs acquired in exchange for winger Alex Steen and defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo, made his Leafs debut against the Atlanta Thrashers last night.

Though he was expected to begin the game alongside Dominic Moore and Jason Blake, management believes Stempniak has the potential to be a top-six forward.

"He could find himself on the other two lines," said head coach Ron Wilson. "That's what I'm going to do for the first couple of weeks, slip him in here and there and see who he would be most comfortable with."

Drafted 148th overall in 2003, Stempniak was rewarded with a three-year deal worth US$7.5-million after he scored 27 goals and 52 points in 2006-07. But the weight of the new deal seemed to burden the winger, who finished with 14 fewer goals last season.

"The goal-scoring just wasn't there last year," said Stempniak. "It was disappointing and frustrating. I struggled at the start of the season ... and I just got deflated.

"It was tough. It was a really hard year and you want to leave it at the rink but you take it home with you. This summer, I just put it behind me."

Despite missing four games with a knee injury, Stempniak appears to have rediscovered his offence. He went into last night's game with just three goals. But he has collected 12 points in the last eight games.

"Over the last three or four weeks, he has been St. Louis's best player," Wilson said. "He's found his confidence again."

Wilson, meanwhile, has also found something: a player who shoots right-handed. With the exception of fourth-liner Jamal Mayers, every other forward on the team shoots left.

"He's obviously something that we coveted," said Wilson, who added Stempniak would likely be used on the power play. "He's got a very good shot; a sneaky, hard shot."

Mayers, who played with Stempniak in St. Louis, said fans would be impressed by the 5-foot-11 winger's speed.

"We're very lucky to have him," he said.

"He's fast, definitely. You'll see. He might be the fastest on the team. I'm excited that no one really knows what he can do."

A virtual unknown in St. Louis, Stempniak said he is looking forward to playing in a city where hockey is the biggest sport.

"In St. Louis, I was a bit under the radar," he said. "That was nice some times when things weren't going well. But as a hockey player, you want to be right in the thick of it.

"When you come to Toronto, every time we've played here the fans have been great. At the airport yesterday, people were saying, 'Go Leafs Go.' It's just a really cool feeling."

Fletcher keeps puck rolling - Trades for Lee Stempniak

The timing was odd, given that Brian Burke will soon check in to begin his own reconstruction of the Maple Leafs.

But Cliff Fletcher, showing he is no mere caretaker, said a trade opportunity presented to the team was too good to let slip away. How often, figured the Silver Fox, does one have the chance to acquire a top-six forward in exchange for two players who have essentially become spare parts.

So Fletcher, in what might be his last move as an NHL general manager, yesterday traded for St. Louis winger Lee Stempniak, sending defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo and forward Alex Steen to the Blues.

Fletcher said he didn't have to take the proposed trade to the Leafs' board of directors for approval but, given the unusual circumstances around the team, he bounced the idea off the team president before pulling the trigger.

"I did bring to Richard Peddie's attention what was available to us," Fletcher said. "Whether the timing was good or bad, it was available now and we had to make a move one way or the other. I was told to go ahead and do my job."

Peddie, in explaining why a major lineup renovation was approved before the new contractor is hired, stated simply: "Cliff Fletcher is our GM until he isn't."

Fletcher said the decision to pick up Stempniak, a 25-year-old from Buffalo who will get serious consideration for the U.S. Olympic team, was unanimous in the hockey department from the scouts through the front office and the coaches.

"He's a very crafty player," Fletcher said. "We felt we were acquiring a top-six forward, someone who could play on our power play besides contributing substantially offensively."

Stempniak said he had "no idea" that the trade was coming.

"I was a bit shocked when they told me in St. Louis, but that quickly faded," he said last night. "To be a Maple Leaf is extremely exciting. It's an Original Six team that's headed in the right direction. I'm just really excited to be a part of it. It's exciting to be in a city where everyone lives and breathes hockey."

Stempniak flew into Toronto last night and could be in the lineup tonight when the Leafs host Atlanta. All three players in the trade must pass physicals before any of them can take to the ice with their new clubs. The concern, of course, is Colaiacovo, who has been battered by injuries throughout his brief career.

While Stempniak could eventually slip into a top-six role with Toronto, it is expected he'll start on the left side of a line with Dominic Moore and Jason Blake so as not to upset the chemistry the top two lines have going. Stempniak, who has 13 points in 14 games this season, will also see power-play time.

Steen and Colaiacovo were both first-round draft picks by the Leafs (Stempniak was selected 148th overall in 2003) and both were long touted as the team's future. But Fletcher doesn't feel he is giving up players who may yet blossom.

"I don't think it's a risk at all," Fletcher said. "Notwithstanding where a player was drafted, it's where he's playing right now and you have two players who have been with the Leafs for a number of years, so the decision was based on how we feel they were contributing to us at this time and projecting how, in our minds, they would move forward."

Colaiacovo, 25, criticized by coach Ron Wilson last week for being at less than top shape, was stunned.

"I was really caught by surprise. My first reaction was that I was in shock," he said. "The first thing that went through my head was how great I've had it here in Toronto (but) I'm really looking forward to the opportunity. Obviously, it's a team that wants me to play for them and a team that's looking for a guy with my skills."

Steen, 24, has only two goals and two assists in 20 games and sounded hopeful about a new beginning.

"Chapter Two has started. I'm excited to get down there and get to meet the guys and hopefully have a better second, third and fourth quarter of the season," he said.

Brian Burke a Leaf at last

The wait is over and the deal is done. Brian Burke is set to become the new president and general manager of the Maple Leafs.

With only a few final details to be sorted out, none of which are viewed as deal-breakers, the deal is all but done.

The former Anaheim GM was forwarded a "term sheet" by the Leafs over the past 24 hours, which included acceptable clauses on the length of contract and compensation.

Burke's deal will include the rest of this season, then a five-year contract that kicks in next season. He made about $1.4 million managing the Ducks, and is expected to see his salary doubled in Toronto.

Cliff Fletcher, who has been acting as Leaf GM since John Ferguson was fired last January, all but confirmed the deal on the FAN 590 morning show today by saying he believes it would be a "great move" for the Leafs to hire the 53-year-old Burke.

Burke was willing to strike a deal last week, but the Leafs dictated the pace of these negotiations, which slowed towards the end of last week then picked up speed on the weekend.

The only key remaining negotiating point is believed to be the reporting structure of the new regime, whether Burke will report directly to the MLSE board on a regular basis, or to a senior executive like current Leaf president Richard Peddie.

It's not believed, however, that Burke is particularly worried, having had to "manage up" during his days running the Canucks and Ducks. There are no other road blocks left that would impede a deal from being cut between the Leafs and Burke.

Theoretically, Burke could have signed a deal Sunday or Monday, but is now committed to stay in the Boston-area with his family through his daughter's bridal shower on Friday.

That sets the stage for the Leafs to introduce him as their new hockey czar on Saturday, with full coverage allotted to CBC's Hockey Night in Canada on a nation-wide basis that evening before and during the Leafs' home game against the Philadelphia Flyers, coincidentally the team for whom Burke once played as a minor-leaguer.

Dave Nonis, the former Vancouver GM, is expected to be announced as a new member of the Leaf front office at the same time as Burke is introduced.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Burke will become the first American to be GM of the Leafs, joining his college pal, head coach Ron Wilson.

Leafs finish up as road kill

VANCOUVER-Vesa Toskala had allowed four goals on nine shots and Roberto Luongo was guarding the opposite net.

Given that scenario, there's wasn't much hope that the Maple Leafs could muster one of their heralded come-from-behind wins last night against the Canucks.

And with ex-Leaf Kyle Wellwood exacting a measure of revenge by scoring the opening goal - leading an onslaught that eventually chased Toskala - the Canucks sailed to a 4-2 win.

"I actually felt really good," said Toskala. "That might be what sucks the most, that I wasn't able to help the team."

The Leafs wrapped up their Western Canada tour with a 1-2 record and have little time to gather themselves before they play tomorrow night at home against the Northeast Division-leading Boston Bruins, winners of five of their last six.

If there was a turning point last night, it came early.

The Leafs had been dominating from the opening faceoff and after 3 1/2 minutes had a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal.

The Canucks then took two penalties within three seconds of each other - goalie interference and interference on the ensuing faceoff - giving the Leafs a 5-on-3 advantage for the 13th time this season.

And for the 13th time, the Leafs failed to score.

It became 0-for-14 after a much shorter 5-on-3 situation in the second period.

"I'm going to change up some of the people who play on the 5-on-3," said Leafs coach Ron Wilson.

"Some of the shots we take from the point make no sense to me at all.

"We've got to try to work the puck low. We're taking needless shots that get blocked."

Shortly after the two Canucks got out of the box, Wellwood scored on Vancouver's first shot on Toskala, at 7:13.

"When the shots are 11-0 and their first shot goes in the net, it's kind of depressing," said Wilson. "That was huge."

Wilson didn't blame Toskala for the loss - noting most of the goals would have been difficult saves for any netminder - but suggested he might have contributed a bit more.

"You can't argue any of the goals were stoppable, but you could use a save, I guess," said Wilson. "But it's not Vesa's fault.

"We got way too far behind the eight-ball playing a defensive team."

Wellwood - now approaching folk-hero status with Canuck fans - got a huge ovation from the sellout crowd at GM Place when he redirected Pavol Demitra's pass, one of three assists for Demitra.

"Coming into the game, I was hoping to have a good start. To put our team on the board first was nice," said Wellwood.

"If I had to pick a game to score, it would have been this one."

By 8:31 of the second period, the Canucks had a 4-0 lead on goals by Wellwood, Ryan Kesler, Willie Mitchell and Daniel Sedin on nine shots and Toskala was done for the evening.

"They had good chances and they put them in," said Toskala.

"I don't really worry about good goals, you just put them behind you and get focused for the next (shot). Sometimes they hit you and sometimes they don't."

Coming into the game, Toskala's 3.08 goals-against average and .878 save percentage were among the worst in the league.

Luongo, meanwhile, was too much.

His franchise-record shutout streak of 242:36 had ended on Thursday night and he looked intent on going after his sixth shutout of the season.

Ian White wouldn't let it happen, scoring from close range at 14:53 of the third.

Matt Stajan added a power-play goal at 17:30, extending his points streak to six games. He now has points in 11 of his last 12 games.

Will Leafs get their man?

The race for Brian Burke is on.

And the Maple Leafs, after months of inactivity in their quest for a hockey head honcho, are on the fast track.

After learning yesterday Burke and the Anaheim Ducks will officially sever their relationship in the coming days, Leafs president Richard Peddie will talk with team board members and take his search committee out of mothballs to assess hiring the NHL's most coveted front-office free agent.

"One always evaluates whether the action plan you have in place has to be adjusted when things happen and we need to have that conversation internally," said Peddie, who is travelling with the Leafs on their western Canadian swing.

While Peddie wouldn't discuss Burke specifically, he made it clear the Leafs would be prepared to move on an opportunity it deemed advantageous, even though the team's executive search squad had been waiting for several high-end candidates to become available in the spring.

"Everything is flexible. We hired (basketball head) Bryan Colangelo in the middle of a season. That door is not closed," said Peddie, the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

"We have to go back and think about it," he continued. "The (Leafs) board obviously knows of this event. They're not deaf and blind. If we're interested, there are still procedures that have to be followed so that we're not tampering. You could open yourself up to fines if we don't do it right."

The Ducks let it be known that Burke - who was in Toronto at the start of the week for a sports conference - would not be signing a contract extension, citing family reasons. Anaheim team president Michael Schulman then decided that since Burke would not be staying, he would be cut loose and underling Bob Murray will run the team.

Burke, 53, will stay as a consultant to help Murray transition into the role, but that posting is expected to be short-lived. Burke said he was waiting for formal word from Schulman as to when he can begin entertaining other offers, but he is hoping to have his future decided within 30 days.

"I'm going to try to get off the payroll as quickly as I can, once I'm told what's an appropriate time frame," said Burke. "Once they tell me it's time to start looking, I'll start looking in earnest."

Schulman said he would officially notify NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that Burke was free to discuss potential employment with other teams within a week or two.

At the Ducks' press conference yesterday, Burke would not address the possibility of going to Toronto.

"I don't know what's out there (league-wide). I don't know what happens next," said Burke, noting that he wants to remain an NHL GM making personnel decisions.

Burke has long let it be known he would like to move east to see his family more. He has four children from a previous marriage living in the Boston area and speculation has been rampant that he would land in Toronto.

There is also thought to be some interest in Burke from other teams, including the Bruins and Ottawa.

The Leafs interviewed candidates to become the team's president and general manager last summer, but the Ducks denied permission to talk to Burke. When Toronto decided to put its search on hold, the interim tag was lifted off Cliff Fletcher and he became the team's full-fledged GM.

Fletcher seemed comfortable with the notion that his successor could be identified shortly.

"As for my future, if I spend next winter in Arizona (where he and his wife maintain a home), I'm not going to be disappointed," he said. "Where there's going to be a change, there's going to be a change."

Peddie praised the work Fletcher has done, clearing out some of the team's overpriced veterans and bringing in younger, enthusiastic players under the guidance of impressive new coach Ron Wilson.

"Cliff doesn't want this job long term. That's the contract we've done with him," said Peddie. "We expect him to do the job a while longer, how much longer I don't know."

Fletcher makeover serves Leafs well

EDMONTON-While the throng of media that follows the Maple Leafs around jostles about, looking for any and every comment possible on the Brian Burke front, Cliff Fletcher simply sits in the stands at practice, watching the team he put together go through its drills.

"I'm just trying to run a hockey team," Fletcher said yesterday.

This soon won't be Fletcher's team any more, but whoever takes over - be it Burke or someone else - will inherit a new-look Leaf team. One that will have Fletcher's fingerprints all over it: From more cap space to an energetic younger squad.

"We're in good shape," said Fletcher. "I just hope I'm leaving behind a team that's starting to show it's going to get better."

It was Fletcher who changed the chemistry in the dressing room by moving the former immovable objects named Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker. That new chemistry has led to a younger team, eager to please coach and fans by playing an energetic brand of hockey.

It was Fletcher who boldly changed the face of the franchise. Mats Sundin is gone, but Fletcher made an instant star out of Luke Schenn by trading up in the draft. The rookie defenceman hasn't disappointed.

It was Fletcher who moved quickly to bring in coach Ron Wilson, making contact with him almost immediately after he was fired in San Jose. Wilson seems just the tonic for a team trying to find its new identity.

Fletcher's other acquisitions have mostly been solid: Niklas Hagman has been the team's best forward. Mikhail Grabovski may prove to be the team's most dynamic forward. Jeff Finger looks solid-as-advertised on defence. Even Mike Van Ryn - picked up in the McCabe trade - was a pleasant surprise until his injuries.

Fletcher was initially signed for six months, a bridge between former GM John Ferguson Jr. and whoever takes over permanently. It was extended by a year when it became clear the top candidates weren't available. So Fletcher kept making the changes he thought were best for the team.

"My job was to start the process to move the team in the right direction until the person who is going to lead the team in the future was put in place," said Fletcher, who hinted he wouldn't mind sticking around to see how the rebuilding process finishes.

"I have no interest in going to another team. If the Leafs would like me to remain on as a consultant, that's something I'd probably enjoy doing."

Fletcher set to drop Maple Leafs reins

TORONTO - Brian Burke is no longer the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, but Cliff Fletcher is not looking over his shoulder.

Nor does he fear for his job.

When he was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of last season, the 73-year-old understood his term in the general manager's position was not permanent.

"At my stage of the career, I'm just enjoying it very much now," he told reporters in Calgary yesterday. "I'd like to see this thing really start to show that we're headed in the right direction.

''As for my future, if I spend my next winter in Arizona, I won't be disappointed."

Fletcher, who replaced John Ferguson Jr., in January, was never supposed to last this long as the general manager.

The idea was for him to keep the seat warm while the National Hockey League team looked for a long-term replacement. But nearly a year later, the search continues, although Burke's resignation from the Ducks yesterday is expected to change that.

"Cliff doesn't want this job long-term," Richard Peddie, president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, told reporters.

"I've really appreciated the job he's done. I expect him to do it a while longer. How much longer I don't know. But his contract takes him to next summer."

Though his time has been brief, Fletcher had made his mark on the hockey team.

In the summer, he hired head coach Ron Wilson to replace Paul Maurice, he traded up in the draft to select defenceman Luke Schenn fifth overall, and he changed the culture of the dressing room by replacing veterans such as Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker with hungry youngsters such as Schenn, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin.

The team is still rebuilding and is likely two or three years away from becoming a Stanley Cup contender.

But there is already cause for optimism. Toronto, which missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, is a faster, harder-working team that is surpassing pre-season expectations so far with its 6-6-4 record.

The Leafs head into tonight's game against the Edmonton Oilers in a tie for eighth-place in the Eastern Conference.

"Cliff's come in and I think he's done a heck of a job. A really good job," Peddie said. "We've stayed with our plan and stayed patient and there's some great young kids up there ... we've already made some progress this season."

Fletcher would like to continue to guide the team forward. But he also realizes that when the time is right, he will gladly pass the torch.

"I'm here to get a job done and do it to the best of my ability, which we're trying to do," he said. "We feel that we're going in the right direction. When there's going to be change, there's going to be change.

"I won't be disappointed. But we just can't afford to have turmoil around this team, because it would be counterproductive."

Blake bounces back as Leafs crush Oilers

EDMONTON-Little known fact: Jason Blake can be a real pest.

That attribute is what helped him score 40 goals with the New York Islanders two seasons ago. That attribute has been missing from his game in a season and a bit with Toronto.

After being a healthy scratch Tuesday night in Calgary - a clear message from coach Ron Wilson that he wasn't playing well - Blake fumed that perhaps coming to Toronto was a mistake.

But Blake didn't take his frustrations out on Leaf fans or his teammates. He took it out on the Oilers and discovered - for one game anyway - his inner pest in the Leafs' 5-2 win last night.

"We've talked to him about that, he's got to play with (an edge) and be in people's faces," said Wilson, happy that his message got through. "My job? I'm not a massage therapist. Sometimes you have to hit (players) over the head. In order to hear, you have to hammer the message home.

"We've got plenty of guys who can step into the lineup. Jason played tonight the way he's capable of. I don't have a problem when a guy puts in an effort like that: Skating and forechecking and being a pest."

Blake didn't get a goal - he did get two key assists - but managed to bother the Oilers all night.

"That's one thing that crossed my mind, that I've got to get under people's skin. That's the way I played earlier in my career, and I've just got to keep doing it," said Blake, who added he understands Wilson's motives behind the benching.

"It's all about challenging players to be the best. I'm glad he put me back in (last night). I was all fired up."

Mikhail Grabovski, Ian White, Nik Antropov, Nikolai Kulemin and Tomas Kaberle scored for Toronto, now 1-1 on its Western swing with a date waiting in Vancouver tomorrow night.

Blake took his lumps early in the game, which seemed to get him going. He took a mid-ice hit from Ales Hemsky in the first period, then delivered one to Lubomir Visnovsky in the third.

Blake made two terrific plays on White's key third period goal.

With the Leafs up 3-2, Oilers point man Sheldon Souray let rip a slapshot that Vesa Toskala stopped; the rebound dribbled loose. Blake got to the puck first, and cleared it out of danger. A couple of seconds later, he sped down the left wing, leading a two-on-one. Surprise - he didn't shoot. His pass to White was right on the tape, and the converted defenceman wristed a shot that beat Oilers rookie goalie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who suffered his first loss of the season (3-1-0).

Blake did it again, setting up Grabovski's eighth goal of the year at 13:32 of the third, this time feeding the rookie centre from behind the net. It was the Leafs' third power-play goal of the night.

For Grabovski, it was his sixth game in a row with at least one point - he has seven goals, three assists in that stretch.

"He's got his confidence, he's skating, he's a threat every time he steps on the ice," said Wilson of Grabovski. "More importantly, he's played well defensively."

Kulemin's goal was his first since Oct. 13, the third game of the season. It came on a deflection of a Kaberle wrist shot.

"We had Kulemin standing in front of the net and he scores a garbage goal," said Wilson. "It's a lesson for him to learn."

Sam Gagner and Ethan Moreau scored for Edmonton.

Matt Stajan picked up three assists, and now has a five-game points streak, accumulating nine points in that span.