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.