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.

Bitter Blake questions his future in T.O.

CALGARY-Having been scratched for two games this season, an upset Jason Blake publicly mused about leaving the Maple Leafs.

"Maybe it's not meant for me to be here," Blake said yesterday after a Leaf practice here before the team headed to Edmonton. "It obviously hasn't worked out in the year and 16 games we played here.

"If it's not going to work out ... I know I can play, and I love to play. I'm not going to quit. If it's not here, I don't know."

The 35-year-old Blake is stuck on two goals this season, his second with the Leafs after signing a five-year, $20 million U.S. contract in the summer of 2007. He was the team's key signing that free-agent period, a 40-goal scorer the year before with the New York Islanders.

"I'm glad he's upset," said coach Ron Wilson, who has coached Blake on Team USA. "You don't want a guy to roll over and die. I want him to step on the ice, and play with piss and vinegar, which he hasn't done consistently.

"That's the Jason Blake I've watched, and coached, and haven't seen enough of this year, or last year in reviewing the tape."

Blake hasn't quite clicked as a Leaf, no matter who his linemates were. He was among the league leaders in shots last season, but managed a paltry 15 goals. He's again firing away - but usually low-percentage shots.

He lost his first-line spot early in the season, and has drifted further down the depth chart to the point where converted defenceman Ian White has played ahead of him.

He'll be back in the lineup tonight, playing left wing on a line with Alex Steen and White.

"For me it's stay positive and work hard," said Blake.

"No one wants to sit out. I don't understand it. But it's a coach's decision."

Wilson made it clear he's got to work hard to stay in the lineup.

"He's got to step on the ice and get the job done," said Wilson. "Go harder to the net, make people around him better. Do the little things we ask lots of other people to do. We don't have exceptions to the way we want to play.

"He's had a couple of good games. But he hasn't been consistent. I don't care what he says in papers, its irrelevant, it's what you do on the ice."

Blake doesn't have a no-trade or no movement clause. Many believe the Leafs would like to move him off the roster, but few teams would be willing to take a chance on an underachiever with such a big ticket.

Blake's agent, Neil Sheehy, said Blake is still a loyal Leaf.

"Any player worth his salt is never happy when he doesn't play," said Sheehy. "With that said, you have to find a way to give the coach what he wants so that you play every night.

"His loyalty is to the Toronto Maple Leafs until he's told differently. I'm not making any calls. He's playing for the Leafs. That's where he signed, that's where he's going to be."

Leafs wilt under Flames

CALGARY-The boys in blue and white tried to put on a show for the couple of thousand Maple Leaf fans who got a rare chance to cheer for their heroes at the Pengrowth Saddledome last night.

They tried for one of those come-from-behind efforts, but started their rally too late and ultimately fell short, losing 4-3 to Calgary in their first game here since Jan. 6, 2006.

The close score was flattering to the Leafs, who put in 10 strong minutes in the first period and five good ones in the final part of the third period.

It was the sputtering in between that did them in.

"It's popped up every three or four games that we don't get quickly to pucks, we don't move the puck and when our defence struggle a bit advancing the puck, it shuts down our offence," said coach Ron Wilson. "We need our defencemen to be offence starters. It didn't happen."

Matt Stajan had a goal and an assist, Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored for Toronto, 1-3-1 in its last five games. Ian White, Mikhail Grabovski and Tomas Kaberle picked up assists.

Captain Jarome Iginla had a goal for the Flames. Dion Phaneuf scored one on a fabulous slapshot. Dustin Boyd was pretty impressive, too, scoring twice for Calgary. Boyd's second goal of the game, a third period marker, made it 4-1 Calgary.

Cue the attempted rally. Antropov deflected White's point shot at 14:53 to get the Leafs within two.

Stajan then got credit for an unassisted goal off a faceoff at 19:06. Craig Conroy cleanly won the draw, but sent the puck straight toward Miikka Kiprussoff, who couldn't handle it. But it was too little, too late for the Leafs.

"We're not going to give up," said Wilson. "I like the spunk of our team. (The Flames) kind of sat back and thought the game was over."

The Remembrance Day game might be something for Luke Schenn and Vesa Toskala to forget. The Leafs' prized rookie defenceman was a minus-2 on the night, while Toskala had trouble controlling his rebounds.

The coach backed his goalie.

"It's awful hard when your defencemen are backing into you or screening you, not blocking the shots or controlling the shots," said Wilson.

"We were just slow in our zone responding to loose pucks. We were always arriving second to it, and you're not going to win many games when you get beat to every loose puck."

The Flames were happy to dump and chase and play a defensive game while waiting for their chances.

The Leafs were happy to give them many, with neutral-zone breakdowns and the odd brain cramp with the puck, especially on the blue line.

"We turned a lot of pucks over, we didn't move the puck too well and it was hard for us to get our offence going," said Ponikarovsky. "We made way too many turnovers on the blue line, and that's how they got their offence."

The Leafs' last trip through Western Canada proved disastrous. The Leafs lost 1-0 to Calgary on Jan. 6, 2006. They they lost Bryan McCabe to a groin injury in a win the following night in Edmonton to move to nine games over .500. But then they lost to Vancouver on Jan. 10, 2006, the first of eight consecutive defeats that dashed their playoff aspirations that season.

NOTES: Coming into the game, the Leafs had outshot their opponents in 11 consecutive games. Shots last night were tied at 32 apiece. Toronto's franchise record for outshooting its opponent consecutively remains at 14 games, set in the 1973-74 season.

Burke out as Ducks' GM

The NHL's Anaheim Ducks will name Bob Murray as their new general manager Wednesday afternoon.

Murray will take over from Brian Burke - long rumoured to be in line for the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager position, currently being occupied on an interim basis by Cliff Fletcher.

The Ducks have called a news conference this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Burke is expected to be in attendance at the news conference.

Leafs' Grabovski gets revenge on Habs

On a night to celebrate the newest hall of famers and to remember fallen soldiers, hockey's greatest rivalry got a little bit bloodier with a disabling hit on Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn.

And Mikhail Grabovski began to write his own tale as one of the rare breed who have played for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Leafs.

While Grabovski held court in front of a throng of cameras and tape recorders following Toronto's 6-3 win over Montreal, word spread that Van Ryn was lying in a hospital bed after being slammed into the boards by Tom Kostopoulos during the first period.

"He's got a concussion, a broken nose and a broken hand," said Leafs coach Ron Wilson, "so, he'll probably be out somewhere around a month. Every bad thing that could happen, happened on that play."

The league was reviewing the play last night, but there was no immediate word on whether Kostopoulos would be suspended.

The hit came early in the game, at 7:03 of the first, but it was a rallying point for the Leafs, who ended a three-game losing skid.

On the ensuing five-minute power play, Grabovski scooted up the right side, pulled a head fake that fooled Montreal defender Andrei Markov and fed a perfect pass to Niklas Hagman, who was able to score the first of his two goals on the night.

Grabovski then scored the Leafs' second goal at 1:48 of the second on a quick wrist shot.

"Grabbo," as he's called in the Leaf room, was a dynamo all night, getting under the skin of the Habs, with Saku Koivi sniping at him and Sergei Kostitsyn taking runs at him.

He did a lot of hard work that doesn't show up on the scoresheet - his second effort on a faceoff helped set up Hagman's second goal - and generally outshone the players in the bleu, blanc et rouge who were entrenched ahead of him in the Habs' depth chart last season.

"The Canadiens knew what they had in Mikhail," Wilson said of his team's major off-season acquisition. "(But) they've got an unbelievable group of forwards with so much skill and he probably wasn't going to get a fair opportunity. Fortunately for us, we were able to pick him up. He's into a real good rhythm. He's been our best player for two weeks. That's why he's got seven goals now."

Grabovski speaks some English but last night, with a crush of media in front of his stall, it was up to teammate Alexei Ponikarovsky to translate when reporters asked what Koivu told Grabovski.

"He (Koivu) gave him some special advice," said Ponikarovsky, getting a laugh. "He told him it would help him in the future. He (Grabovski) just listened to his advice because he respects him."

Grabovski has six goals in his last four games and is among the rookie scoring leaders. He doesn't like to talk about his Habs playing days, where he got into just 24 games over two seasons and was banished to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs.

"We go play, we win," Grabovski said in his broken English of last night's effort. "Nothing special."

Habs coach Guy Carbonneau didn't want to chat about his former player.

"Listen, I have enough of my own problems," said Carbonneau. "I don't really care about what he thinks or what he says. He's playing well, good for him."

Linemate Hagman said he was sure Grabovski loved showing up his former teammates.

"For sure," said Hagman. "And they've got a lot of Russian players in that room. That could give a little more extra boost."

Former players Igor Larionov and Glenn Anderson, the late Ed Chynoweth and retired linesman Ray Scapinello were honoured at centre ice in the Hall of Fame game. Former Leaf and World War II veteran Gaye Stewart read "In Flanders Fields" before the game, part of Remembrance Day celebrations.

Tlusty gets another shot with big club

Jiri Tlusty returned to the Maple Leafs yesterday hoping to recharge his game.

He was sent to the Marlies last month, but was recalled yesterday to fill in for the injured John Mitchell.

"I'm looking forward to my chance, and I hope I can play my best game," said Tlusty, who had two assists in five games with the Marlies. "I wasn't playing very well and my confidence went down. I have to forget that now and play better."

WESTERN JOURNEY: The Leafs embark on a three-game road swing through western Canada next week. It marks Toronto's first games against the Flames, Oilers and Canucks since the 2005-06 season.

"We haven't been out there in three seasons?" said Matt Stajan. "That's not good for the game."

No comeback this time as Leafs ripped by Bruins

BOSTON - It seemed only a matter of time before tempting fate would catch up with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Continuing their season-long habit of falling behind early in games, the Leafs could not crawl out of a 2-0 hole in the first period Thursday and were beaten 5-2 by the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden.

Despite more admonishment from coach Ron Wilson, the Leafs began another game sloppily, and this time the opposition was ready. The Bruins jumped to an early 2-0 lead - as they did against Toronto in this building a couple of weeks ago. But, the visitors could not repeat their 4-2 comeback effort and are now riding a three-game winless streak.

Forward Blake Wheeler scored his first career hat trick to pace the Bruins. It included an empty-net goal in the final minute.

The Leafs trailed 3-0 heading into the third period and got an early goal from Alex Steen. They dominated from that point and had a chance to narrow the lead during a five-on-three power play late in the frame. They could not beat goalie Tim Thomas, however, and Zdeno Chara restored the three-goal advantage shortly after his club returned to full strength.

The early deficits are becoming an annoyance for Wilson, whose team has fallen behind by at least two goals in six of its past nine outings. "I don't know what to say about that," the coach shrugged. "Whether it's 2-0 or 3-0, it doesn't matter. It just happens. We're not a good enough team to say we're going to automatically score the first two goals.

"Again, we took a couple of unnecessary penalties early in the game, and we didn't get the job done. We didn't move the puck quickly tonight and got in trouble."

The Leafs were also hit with their first significant injury of the season.

Rookie forward John Mitchell sustained a suspected separation of his right shoulder on an innocent-looking check by Boston defenceman Aaron Ward early in the second period and will be sidelined indefinitely. Nik Antropov blocked an Andrew Ference slapshot in the opening frame and briefly returned before calling it a night. X-rays on Antropov's foot were negative.

"We have to have better starts and we know it," Leafs forward Matt Stajan said. "We talked about it before the game, but we didn't go out and do it. It's kind of an old story for us this season. I guess we can't come back every night."

Dennis Wideman and Wheeler scored power-play goals to give the Bruins their 2-0 edge by the 7:46 mark of the opening frame. Wheeler scored again in the second period and had the empty-netter with 53 seconds left.

Steen's goal at 2:13 of the third got the visitors rolling, and they had a golden opportunity to make another late comeback when Chara and Mark Stuart were both in the box for more than a minute later in the period. But, it was not to be. Mikhail Grabovski scored for the Leafs to make it 4-2 less than a minute after Chara's goal.

The crowd got a rise out of Jason Blake being deposited into the Bruins bench by a hip-check from Stuart midway through the first period. Blake came down between the Boston players and the inside of the boards, and was out of sight for a brief moment before regaining his feet and scrambling back onto the ice.

Wilson has alternated Jonas Frogren and Anton Stralman in a number of games - Frogren played Thursday - but Leafs veteran Carlo Colaiacovo continues to be a regular scratch, sitting for the eighth time in the past nine outings. It's been a bitter pill to swallow for Colaiacovo, given his tenure with the hockey club and the number of severe injuries he has overcome. But, neither he nor his agent, Todd Reynolds, has yet to approach Leafs' GM Cliff Fletcher for a trade.

"No, no - my heart is still (with the Leafs)," Colaiacovo said, halfheartedly, after skating with the spares Thursday. "But, there are all kinds of things going through my head because it's been extremely difficult and frustrating for me. You wait so long to get your chance and something like this happens. But, I've overcome so much already in my career, and this is just another stumbling block."

The Leafs return home to face Montreal Saturday.

Overtime heartbreak for Leafs

A quick peek at the plus-minus column on last night's Leafs game sheet told an intriguing story.

The line of Mikhail Grabovski, Niklas Hagman and Nikolai Kulemin each registered plus-2. Everyone else wearing a Leafs jersey was either even or minus-1.

Indeed, Grabovski's line was magical against the Carolina Hurricanes, accounting for three of the Leafs' four goals, and triggering another comeback that seems to be part of the Leafs' script for success so far this season.

The line, though, couldn't steal the show, or the win. That went to the Hurricanes, thanks in large part to the faulty defensive play by the rest of the Leafs in a 5-4 verdict in overtime at the Air Canada Centre.

"We talked about it in the first period (intermission)," Hagman said of the Leafs' unacceptable defensive effort, which saw them fall behind 3-0 and 4-1 in the first period. "It's going to be a long season (if the team has to repeatedly come from behind to win)."

The Leafs have come from behind to tie or win games on six occasions this season, but last night's comeback script was ruined when Niclas Wallin's slapshot sailed past a screened Vesa Toskala into the net at 1:52 of the extra period.

Toronto blew a two-man advantage that lasted 1:13 in the third, and Toskala, in allowing five goals on 24 shots, could have helped matters a bit more despite the fact his team abandoned him on too many occasions.

But the excitement generated so far by Leaf comebacks helped the home side gain a point in a game it should have lost.

"In Dallas last year, we came back quite a bit and I hope I can bring some of that here for this team," said Hagman, a 27-goal scorer with the Stars last season.

Watching Hagman this year has been a treat for Leaf fans. He's gone from a free-agent signing who looked like he could help a rebuilding team to arguably the club's best player after 13 games.

Hagman has certainly helped Grabovski, who bagged a pair of goals - one off a gorgeous Hagman setup on the power play. And Kulemin, who was too quick to gel on a line with Nik Antropov earlier this season, has found a place where he can maximize his offensive gifts alongside Hagman and Grabovski.

"I am comfortable here," Grabovski said, referring in part to a mercurial season in Montreal last year. "I like (Hagman). He is fast and he is smart. He is helping me a lot."

Grabovski now has five goals, tops on the Leafs, and is coming into his own after failing to score his first goal for almost a month.

Hagman picked up his fourth goal and added an assist. He now shares the team lead in scoring with Antropov (each with 10 points).

Leafs coach Ron Wilson has long recognized Hagman's abilities.

As head coach in San Jose, he saw large parts of Hagman's 27-goal season last year and wasn't surprised that the impressive tally came with Hagman skating much of the time on the Stars' third line.

"Hagman wasn't miscast in Dallas," Wilson said. "They had that much talent there and the reason we got him is there were only so many players they could keep.

"The reason he isn't there is because they decided to go after Sean Avery.

"Right now that line (Grabovski's) dominates almost every time they're on the ice ... something exciting happens when they're out there," Wilson added. "Now we have to get some of the other guys going again."

The Leafs will practise today, focusing on their defensive play. They've bagged eight goals in the past two games but lost both.

Wilson, though, will also put the power play through its paces, especially in 5-on-3 situations.

"It wasn't the first period that lost us the game, it was the 5-on-3 that cost us the extra point," Wilson said.

Kovalchuk to Leafs 'a wild rumour'

Despite rumours to the contrary, Cliff Fletcher flatly denies the Maple Leafs are pursuing Atlanta Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk.

"I can absolutely tell you there has been no conversations about any player with Atlanta, let alone the player you mentioned," said Fletcher.

Kovalchuk, one of the few pure snipers in the NHL, sounds as if he wants out of Atlanta. Russian newspaper Sports Express Daily said the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens were the front-runners for his services.

"The start of the season could have been better," Kovalchuk said. "Atlanta lacks stability to win (more) often. One match we play well, another only start well. And we must play on the same high level for all 60 minutes."

Thrashers GM Don Waddell said he was aware of the story but called it "a wild rumour. I have no interest in trading Ilya."

Kovlachuk also said he'd rather play in a full arena than in front of the sparse crowds Atlanta has been drawing. The Thrashers are 28th in home attendance, with an average of 13,795 a game.

"Empty stands influence the mood of course," Kovalchuk said. "But not everything depends on us. There is an economic crisis in the country and people think how they can survive in the current situation and not about sport. But if we start winning the stands will fill up."

Sports Express said Fletcher approached Waddell at the recent league meetings in Chicago.

"I might have said hello to Don," said Fletcher. "But I haven't really talked to him in months."

Fletcher said he doesn't expect trade talk to heat up until December. "It's not like trades are happening around us. Usually you get to the 20-, 25-game mark before trades start happening."

Leafs shuffle defencemen in loss to Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. - Who were those two strangers wearing the white jerseys Sunday night, and how much longer will one or the other be staying with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

The Leafs stepped onto the ice at Carolina's RBC Center with Nos. 7 and 8 in uniform together for the first time this season, and it took only a few moments for Ian White and Carlo Colaiacovo to have an impact on the hockey club.

Colaiacovo was on the ice six minutes into the opening period when White scored his first goal in his first game of the season, but the weary Maple Leafs were ultimately subdued 6-4 by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Toronto's record fell to 5-4-3, identical to the club's mark after 12 games last season.

White did not appear in any of the Leafs' first 11 games, while Colaiacovo sat out the previous six matches and seven of the past eight. So Sunday night's dual appearance was either strategic intuition by coach Ron Wilson or a classic showcase for general manager Cliff Fletcher, who admitted he will ultimately trim his bloated defence corps.

"We've had preliminary discussions with a few managers," Fletcher said during the game. "And there will be a time I'm sure in the near future when a trade could be available for us. We'd be looking to move just one defenceman and hopefully get a forward in return that would fit into our scheme of things."

A three-goal outburst in a 3:20 span late in the second period turned around the game for Carolina, erasing a 3-1 lead for the visitors. Ray Whitney, Dwight Helminen and Tuomo Ruutu did the damage against Leafs' backup goalie Curtis Joseph, with Helminen notching his first career goal.

The quick strike occurred fewer than 24 hours after a five-goal explosion late in the third period by the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre obliterated a 2-0 lead for the New York Rangers.

Though White lined up as a winger against the Hurricanes, his natural position in the NHL has been on defence. To make room for White and Colaiacovo, Wilson had to scratch Jonas Frogren and Anton Stralman, continuing a trend that has seen two blue-liners in the press box through the early part of the schedule.

But Fletcher insisted he will not pull the trigger simply to make decisions easier for his coach. "No, we're not going to trade somebody just for the sake of making a deal," he said. "It would only happen in a case where we could get someone we really like to help us up front."

Fletcher dismissed rumours he was pursuing Atlanta sharpshooter Ilya Kovalchuk. "We haven't talked to the Thrashers about anything," the GM said. "That's one rumour that has no authenticity whatsoever."

White understands the situation both he and the Leafs are in.

"If you look at the numbers, someone has to move," he said after the game.

"Teams don't carry nine guys (on defence) so something has to happen. It's great to play (in Toronto) because I have tons of friends there but I'm up for anything that will keep me on the ice."

Colaiacovo saw only 41 seconds of playing time in the third period. "Carlo got hit with a puck and was limping around," Wilson said. "We needed someone with a little jump and Ian White was providing that for us."

White's goal was the only one of the opening period. The Hurricanes, dressed in their predominantly black third jerseys, tied the score 34 seconds into the middle period when Joe Corvo's slap shot deflected past Joseph off defenceman Jeff Finger. The Leafs then gained a 3-1 lead on consecutive goals fewer than four minutes apart by Mikhail Grabovski.

But that was it for the visitors, as the Hurricanes took control with their late-period spree. Carolina got some insurance early in the third from Chad Larose, which came in handy after Niklas Hagman slapped a bouncing puck past Hurricanes backup Michael Leighton at the 8:44 mark. Eric Staal iced the win with an empty-net goal.

Joseph made his second start of the season and his record fell to 0-2-1.

Rookie defenceman Luke Schenn played the game on his 19th birthday.

Toronto and Carolina meet again at the Air Canada Centre Tuesday night.

Fewer goals, more wins for Leafs

Ten games into the post-Sundin era and the rebuilding Maple Leafs have a better record than they did at the same time last season.

That modest improvement - from nine points to 11 points - has arrived despite a dramatic drop off in goal production. It was projected that, with the departure of star centre Mats Sundin, the Leafs would have trouble finding the net. That was one of the few accurate predictions about this upstart squad.

Even after unexpectedly putting five past all-world goaltender Martin Brodeur in regulation time on Wednesday, Toronto is averaging just 2.6 goals a game. That's more than a goal off their pace of last season.

Not only has no one stepped up to dominate in the way that Sundin could - this is a Toronto team without a go-to offensive player - the Leafs have improved with several players underachieving early in this campaign.

Alexei Ponikarovsky tops the Leafs with nine points but that total had him tied for 35th in the NHL before last night's action. While Ponikarovsky's production has been a pleasant surprise and Nik Antropov's team-leading four goals is about what might be expected from the lanky Kazakh, several other Leafs have yet to be heard from offensively.

Former 40-goal scorer Jason Blake has just one goal and is actually behind his pace of last season when he managed a miserable 15 goals. Some thought this might be a breakout campaign for Alex Steen - isn't that an annual expectation? - but he didn't get his first goal until Wednesday.

Management projected that new players Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski would make up for some of Sundin's absent offence but, together, they combine for just three goals and have faded noticeably in recent games. Niklas Hagman has been handed more of an offensive role in Toronto than he had while scoring 27 goals for Dallas last season but he is on pace for just 16 goals.

Only three forwards on the Leafs have more than two goals. Matt Stajan and Ponikarovsky have three and Antropov, as mentioned, has four. Those three form the team's top line.

"We have a lot of guys that can score goals in here and have skill. It's going to come," said Stajan, who broke out with two goals in a Toronto 6-5 shootout win over the Devils.

"We're showing we can win games when it's not there, which is a positive. When we start getting goals consistently while playing defence the way we are and checking the way we are, we're going to be a tough team to play against and that's all we want to be."

The Leafs' speed, enthusiasm and work ethic has given Toronto one more victory than last year's squad largely because they have cut down on shots (against), penalty minutes and goals against while showing improvement on the power play.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us but we're going to be a good, fast team and hard-working team that gets a lot of shots on net. We've been getting that lately," said veteran defenceman Tomas Kaberle.

"We haven't scored as many goals as we probably would like to. But there's a good chance you're going to win hockey game if you keep your goals against low."

Last year's version of the Leafs played eight of its first 10 games at home. This year's team has split the games evenly between the ACC and the road, impressively winning three of those away games and losing another in a shootout.

"I think maybe we've exceeded some people's expectations. But we're all professionals and we knew we could do the job and we were going to be a competitive team," said defenceman Mike Van Ryn. "Time will see how it works out."