ST. PAUL, Minn. - For the Toronto Maple Leafs, a six-day layoff during the National Hockey League all-star break served only as a brief respite from losing.
As if no time had passed since last Wednesday, the Leafs stumbled into the Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night and got blasted, 6-1, by the Minnesota Wild.
Not even the presence of rookie goalie Justin Pogge - blazing-hot recently with the minor-league Toronto Marlies - could reverse a trend that has seen the Maple Leafs drop 12-of-15 games since Dec. 23.
A 3-10-2 record in that span has Toronto free-falling to the depths of the overall standings and moving increasingly closer to an anticipated roster upheaval by the March 4 NHL trade deadline.
The locals were scrambling to determine the last time the offensively challenged Wild erupted for three goals in a 2:57 span as they did in the second period to bury the Leafs.
Known for their staunch adherence to goal prevention under coach Jacques Lemaire, the Wild suddenly resembled the Montreal Canadiens of Lemaire's playing days - the dynamic, four-time Stanley Cup champions of the late-1970s.
And it took minimal effort, as the visitors completely fell apart in front of Pogge during the middle period.
After Jason Blake briefly tied the score 1-1 with his 15th goal of the season - equalling his disappointing total in 82 games last year - the Wild began to toy with the disorganized Maple Leafs.
They exploited numerous breakdowns in defensive coverage to score four goals in a period for the first time in 2008-09. But, the quick three-goal eruption - courtesy of Marc-Andre Bergeron, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Andrew Brunette - all but assured a fourth consecutive defeat for the Maple Leafs by the time 7:47 had elapsed in the second period.
Former Leaf Owen Nolan scored his 12th goal of the season for Minnesota in the final period.
For now, Pogge will return to the Marlies, perhaps with a sigh of relief. Though he was not at all sharp against the Wild - Cal Clutterbuck beat him with a routine shot to the short side and Bouchard completely fooled him on a breakaway - the 22-year-old had little chance in his second NHL start.
Another brutal defensive performance by his teammates offset a 6-2 triumph for Pogge in his big-league debut, Dec. 22 at Atlanta.
With the 22-year-old scheduled to see more action in the NHL as the season progresses, the future of veteran Curtis Joseph becomes increasingly muddled.
Joseph - 1-5-1 with a 3.89 GAA this season - did not dress Tuesday night, has not played since the third period of a 6-2 loss in Montreal on Jan. 8, and has not started since losing 4-1 to Buffalo on New Year's night.
"The Leafs told me last summer I would play a limited number of games and asked if I wanted the job," Joseph recalled. "Of course, I said yes. With this team, you quickly become a mentor to younger players - not just goalies. I'm still enjoying the experience."
Forward Nik Antropov's dreadful slump continued - his scoring famine reaching 16 games - but he had a pair of dandy opportunities in the first period as he was twice rebuffed on clear breakaways by Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom.
Defenceman Mike Van Ryn returned to the Leafs' lineup for the first time since Dec. 18, when he suffered his second concussion of the season at Boston. He missed 16 consecutive games and has played in only four of the past 33 matches. Still recovering from shoulder injuries are defenceman Jeff Finger and forward Jeremy Williams.
The Leafs now move on to Denver for a meeting with the Colorado Avalanche on_Thursday night, and a first encounter with ex-teammates Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft.
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