TORONTO - When Sergei Gonchar came off the injured-reserve list this week, the running line was that the Pittsburgh Penguins had made a major acquisition without having to actually give up any players.
After losing 6-2 to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, the team might actually have to tear up the roster in order to improve.
Gonchar, who missed the first 56 games with a separated shoulder, played his first game of the season, but not even the offensive defenceman's inclusion could help the non-playoff team gain any ground in the Eastern Conference standings.
Instead, it was Toronto's Jason Blake and Nik Antropov - two players who might look good in a Penguins jersey - who further increased their trade value with the March 4 deadline fast approaching, helping the Leafs erase a 2-0 deficit in a come-from-behind victory.
Blake, who leads all Toronto players with 21 goals and 44 points, scored twice in a span of 19 seconds. And Antropov, who is second on the team with 19 goals and 41 points, scored his fifth goal in the last eight games.
"After the first period, we felt we could do it," said Antropov, who had two points on the night. "They got the lead 2-0 early in the first, but we knew one goal was going to change everything, which it did. In the third, we just outplayed them."
While the win did not mean much for Toronto, the loss hurt Pittsburgh's pursuit of a playoff spot. Stanley Cup finalists a year ago, the Penguins remain tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
"I don't know when we're going to learn," Gonchar said of the loss, which was the team's fourth in the last seven games.
"We have to learn quick, because every point is important. Like you said, we might miss (a playoff spot) in the end. And there's not that much time left. Every single turnover can cost us the season."
Courtesy of two defensive gaffes, the Leafs gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead (goals were by Matt Cooke and Bill Thomas) in the first period.
First, rookie Luke Schenn accidentally shot the puck in his own net. About six minutes later, the Leafs were on the power play when Pavel Kubina created a two-on-one the other way by turning the puck over at the offensive zone.
In the third period, Schenn would make up for his early mistake as fans cheered him for slamming Sidney Crosby into the end boards.
"He had a huge impact on the game, in terms of shutting down the two guns," Leafs head coach said of Schenn's role on limiting Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to just one assist between them.
With Schenn and company keeping Pittsburgh off the board, Toronto mounted a comeback.
Antropov cut into Pittsburgh's lead by redirecting a Jeff Finger wrist shot in the second period. And less than two minutes into the third period, Blake scored back-to-back goals to give Toronto a 3-2 lead.
The scoring continued, with John Mitchell, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt Stajan putting the game out of reach.
"The third, we just fell apart," said Crosby. "We lost momentum there and never got it back. There's nothing we can do but erase that one and move on."
Though Gonchar should help Pittsburgh down the stretch, the team still has a host of problems.
Sure, Malkin (81 points) and Crosby (72 points) are the top two scorers in the NHL, but from goaltending to special teams to secondary scoring, the Penguins have a lot to improve upon.
Where Gonchar is likely to help the most is on the man advantage.
The 34-year-old led all players with 38 power-play assists last season and was second with 46 power-play points. Without Gonchar in the lineup, the Penguins' went from having the fourth-best power play in 2007-08 (20.4 per cent success rate) to 24th (16.3 per cent).
"I don't think I played my best game," said Gonchar, who had four shots and 20 minutes of ice time, but whose team went 0-for-2 on the power play.
"But in the end, I picked it up."
The Penguins may also have to pick up some extra help if they expect to qualify for the playoffs.
Leafs general manager Brian Burke might have decreased Antropov's value by publicly criticizing his play last week. And Blake's annual salary ($4 million US) is hardly attractive. But for a team that lacks secondary scoring, both players might be just what Pittsburgh needs as it heads into the final stretch of the regular season.
"It's up to the players," said Penguins head coach Michel Therrien, whose team has lost eight of the last nine games on the road. "There's a price to pay to win games on the road, and right now we're having a hard time staying focused and executing."
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