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."