GAME DAY PREVIEWS
Updated: Thursday December 31, 1998 11:30AM EST
Thursday December 31, 1998 Toronto at Detroit 7:30pm
Mired in their worst streak in almost eight years, the Detroit Red Wings hope to end 1998 on a positive note tonight when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vyacheslav Kozlov scored twice in Detroit's 4-4 tie with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, ending a five-game losing streak. The 0-5-1 winless stretch, though, is the Red Wings' worst since going eight games without a win from January 12th-30th, 1991.
During the skid, Detroit has been outscored, 26-14, and is 2-for-31 on the power play. The Wings have allowed seven power-play goals in 26 chances in that span.
Center Igor Larionov has two goals and six assists during a five-game points streak, while captain Steve Yzerman has three goals and one assist in a three-game streak.
Curtis Joseph made 30 saves and Tie Domi had a goal and an assist as the Maple Leafs dumped the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 4-1, on Wednesday.
The victory snapped a brief two-game slide for Toronto, which is 7-7-0 on the road but 13-2-1 against the Western Conference. The Leafs also moved within one point of first-place Buffalo in the Northeast Division.
Leafs captain Mats Sundin has three goals and six assists during a six-game points streak.
Center Alyn McCaulley suffered a sprained left medial collateral ligament Wednesday and is expected to miss three to four weeks.
The Leafs have won both meetings this season, including a 5-3 victory in Detroit on October 23rd.
Wednesday December 30, 1998 Anaheim at Toronto 7:30pm
With just one loss in their last nine contests, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim continue a six-game road trip tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Ducks opened the trip with a 1-0 victory over Colorado before skating to a 2-2 tie with the Ottawa Senators on Monday.
Anaheim, which is 5-1-3 in its last nine games, would move two games over .500 for the first time since it was 8-6-4 on November 10th, 1997 with a win tonight. The Ducks continue the trip against Buffalo, Boston and Nashville.
One of the main reasons for Anaheim's recent surge has been the defense, which has allowed just nine goals in the last seven contests. Also, the penalty killers have surrendered only one goal in the last 32 chances.
Backup goaltender Dominic Roussel has started the last two games, but is only 1-3-1 despite a sparkling .942 save percentage.
The Maple Leafs have scored a total of two goals in back-to-back home losses to to Dallas and Montreal following a three-game winning streak. Toronto, which still sports an impressive 12-6-2 record at home, is second in the Northeast Division -- three points behind Buffalo.
The two-game losing streak is Toronto's longest since dropping a season-high three straight from October 26th-31st.
Leafs captain Mats Sundin has three goals and four assists during a five-game points streak.
Toronto swept the season series last year, 2-0-2, and is 5-1-4 all-time at home against Anaheim.
Saturday December 26, 1998 Montreal at Toronto 7pm
Two teams, one building, one final time. The Montreal Canadiens battle Toronto in Maple Leaf Gardens tonight, bringing an end to hockey's ultimate rivalry, at least in terms of geography.
Beginning tonight, the Leafs have eight more games in the league's oldest arena but none are more significant than this one. The rivalry transcends hockey. Instead, it pits cultures -- Montreal, representing Eastern, French-speaking Canada against Toronto, backed by the English-speaking West.
On the ice, the sides have met 635 times with 318 meetings coming at Maple Leaf Gardens. No team has lost more games there than the Canadiens (113-161-44) and only one, Boston, has played (320) and won more (119) in the arena. The Bruins visit for the final time January 9th.
Some of the national rivalry's luster is lost, with Montreal (0-6-5) just one game shy of matching the worst winless stretch in franchise history. The Habs have gone 12 games without a loss just twice, from February 13th-March 13th, 1926 and from November 28th-December 29th, 1935.
Also winless in 11 straight road games (0-9-2), Montreal can blame its woes on a horrific offense. The Canadiens have just 19 goals during their skid and have gone 15 consecutive games without scoring more than three times. They have done that just five times since Opening Night.
The Canadiens will try to avoid falling 10 games below .500 for the first time since the 1947-48 season.
While Montreal is just four points ahead of Tampa Bay for the league's worst mark, the Leafs have been one of the NHL's most surprising teams, ranking fifth overall with 40 points. They finished out of the playoffs last season with just 69 points.
Behind the league's best offense, Toronto had gone 10-4 before losing Wednesday to Dallas, 5-1. The Leafs scored a total of 19 goals last week during a three-game winning streak.
Toronto is 3-2 on its seven-game homestand, which concludes Wednesday against Anaheim.
The Canadiens began a four-game road trip Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to Ottawa. On February 20th, they will open Toronto's new home, the Air Canada Centre.
Wednesday December 23, 1998 Dallas at Toronto 7:30pm
The surprising Toronto Maple Leafs face one of their stiffest challenges of the season tonight when they host the league-best Dallas Stars, who are unbeaten in nine straight games. The Maple Leafs got two goals and an assist from captain Mats Sundin and a goal and two assists from Alyn McCauley for their third straight victory, 7-1 over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
Toronto has won 10 of its last 11 games at home and is 12-4-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens this season. The Leafs are trying to win four straight games for the first time since reeling off a franchise-record 10 in a row in the 1993-94 season.
Playing their first season in the Eastern Conference, the Leafs have enjoyed tremendous success against the West. They have won nine straight games and are 12-1-1 against the opposing conference.
Toronto has erupted for 19 goals in its last three games and leads the league with 105. Sundin has three goals and two assists in the last three games and McCauley has two goals and five assists in his last two.
Darryl Sydor's goal with 6:06 left in the third period lifted the surging Stars into a 2-2 tie with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
Dallas is 7-0-2 in its last nine games and has lost just twice in the last 17 contests (12-2-3). The Stars have a league-best 44 points and are closing in on the longest unbeaten stretch in franchise history. The Minnesota North Stars were 9-0-3 from February 18th-March 15th, 1982.
Like Toronto, Dallas has played very well against the opposing conference, going 7-1-1, including a 4-0-1 mark against the Northeast Division.
The Stars are 8-2-1 against the Leafs over the last two seasons, including 3-1-1 in Toronto.
Monday December 21, 1998 Pittsburgh at Toronto 7:30pm
The first-place Toronto Maple Leafs, winners of nine of their last 10 home games, host the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. The switch to the Eastern Conference has been good for the Maple Leafs, who lead the Northeast Division by one point over the Buffalo Sabres. Last season, Toronto was last in the Western Conference's Central Division.
The Leafs improved to a conference-best 11-4-2 at home Saturday with a 7-4 victory over the New York Rangers as Derek King scored twice and Alyn McCauley had a career-high four points.
Toronto, which has won nine of its last 12, can credit a balanced attack for its rise as four players -- led by Mats Sundin -- have scored 20 or more points, and 12 have at least 10.
Tom Barrasso stopped 24 shots for his second shutout of the season and 32nd career and Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev and Stu Barnes scored in Pittsburgh's 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
The Penguins have won three of their last four games, and have gone 6-3-3 in their past 12. They have scored at least three goals in six of their last eight.
Kovalev, who has six goals this season, tallied his ninth point in as many games since coming over in a trade from the New York Rangers for Petr Nedved while Jagr has five goals and 10 points over his last eight contests.
Pittsburgh has split two games with the Maple Leafs this season, with each team winning on the road. Toronto posted a wild 6-4 victory on November 24th. Two nights later, the Pens and Peter Skudra blanked Toronto, 2-0.
Saturday December 19, 1998 Ny Rangers at Toronto 7pm
Wayne Gretzky makes his final appearance at fabled Maple Leaf Gardens tonight when the New York Rangers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gretzky, who grew up in Brantford, Ontario, about 90 miles west of Toronto, leads all visiting players with 30 goals and 45 assists in 29 regular-season games at Maple Leaf Gardens.
The NHL's all-time leading scorer has tallied 11 points in eight playoff games in Toronto, including a hat trick in the Los Angeles Kings' Game Seven victory over the Maple Leafs in the 1993 Western Conference finals.
Toronto plays its final game at 67-year-old Maple Leaf Gardens, which houses all 11 of the team's Stanley Cup banners, on February 13th against the Chicago Blackhawks and then moves into the $300 million Air Canada Centre.
Gretzky, who attended his first NHL game with his grandmother in Toronto as a 6-year-old, scored with 37.8 seconds remaining in his previous visit to Toronto on November 11th, giving the Rangers a 6-6 tie with the Maple Leafs.
New York has scored 12 goals in two games against Toronto this season, posting a 6-2 victory at Madison Square Garden on December 7th. The line of Niklas Sundstrom, Petr Nedved and Mike Knuble combined for 10 points, while Sundstrom tied a career high with a goal and three assists.
After winning five in a row, the Rangers have dropped three of their last four, including Wednesday's 6-3 loss at New Jersey, to fall one game under the .500 mark.
Igor Korolev scored twice during a four-goal eruption in a 4:05 span of the second period Wednesday as the Maple Leafs defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2, to improve to 8-1 in their last nine home contests.
Toronto is 12-1-1 against the Western Conference this season, but only 5-10-1 within its own conference.
The Maple Leafs had a seven-game home winning streak -- one short of the franchise record -- snapped in a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last Saturday.
Wednesday December 16, 1998 Phoenix at Toronto 7:30pm
Riding a five-game unbeaten streak, the Phoenix Coyotes' express continues a four-game road trip tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since their eight-game winning streak and a 14-game unbeaten steak came to an end in Edmonton on December 2nd, the Coyotes are 3-0-2 in their last five contests. Phoenix is a remarkable 15-1-4 in its last 20 contests but somehow finds itself in second place in the Pacific Division, one point behind Dallas.
Defenseman Teppo Numminen scored with 1:53 left in the third period as the Coyotes rallied for a 2-2 tie with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
Numminen has goals in his last two games and points in four straight contests. Captain Keith Tkachuk suffered a groin injury late in the second period Monday and did not play the third. He is listed as day-to-day.
Toronto was shut out by John Vanbiesbrouck and the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-0, Saturday, ending its seven-game home winning streak. The Maple Leafs are 9-4-2 on home ice this season.
Toronto's power play is 0-for-15 in the last three games but the penalty-killing unit has allowed just one goal in the last 21 chances.
The Coyotes won four of five meetings with the Leafs last season, including both games in Toronto.
Saturday December 12, 1998 Philadelphia at Toronto 7pm
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to record their longest home winning streak in 32 years tonigh as they battle the Philadelphia Flyers.
Toronto is seeking its first eight-game winning streak at Maple Leaf Gardens since the 1966-67 season. With a win in this game and on Wednesday over Phoenix, the Leafs will match the longest home winning streak in team history, reached on two occasions.
Ten days ago, Toronto won its seventh in a row at home with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. It is the team's longest home winning streak since a seven-game run during the 1993-94 campaign.
But the Leafs now look to rebound from a 6-2 loss to the Rangers in New York on Monday. They had a three-game winning streak snapped and suffered just their second loss in eight games.
Eric Lindros hopes he does not have another two-goal game wasted. The superstar center has scored twice in each of the last two contests -- a 5-5 tie at New Jersey and a 5-4 home loss to the Devils. The Flyers, who are 1-2-1 in their last four games, have been just an average team on the road, compiling a 5-5-3 mark as visitors this season. They are 0-2-1 in their last three away from home, giving up 12 goals in that span.
Philadelphia defeated Toronto for the eighth time in the last 11 meetings with a 4-3 victory on November 27th.
Friday December 11, 1998 Toronto at Chicago 8:30pm
The Chicago Blackhawks hope for a better fate tonight when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time this season.
Chicago suffered an embarrassing 10-3 loss against the Leafs at home on Novmeber 12th in the only other meeting between the teams this season. Mats Sundin recorded a hat trick in the victory for Toronto.
After a four-game losing streak, the Blackhawks have managed to win four of their last five games. Eric Daze scored twice and Jocelyn Thibault made 24 saves in the Blackhawks' 3-1 win over Edmonton on Wednesday.
Chicago, which is 3-0-1 in its last four home games, is last in the Central Division, one point behind Nashville.
One statistic that should worry Blackhawks coach Dirk Graham is that his club has been outshot in six straight games and in 14 of the last 15 contests.
One year after finishing last in the Central, the Leafs have found their move to the Northeast Division to be a successful one. They have won six of their last eight games and have a one-point lead over second-place Buffalo.
Steve Thomas collected two assists but the Leafs lost for the first time this season when he records at least one point (11-1-1) as they dropped a 6-2 decision against the New York Rangers on Monday.
The Leafs have been hot on the penalty kill of late, holding the opposition scoreless in each of the last five games, killing off 13 straight chances.
Monday December 7, 1998 Toronto at NY Rangers 7:30pm
The last time the New York Rangers met the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs, they were the worst offensive team in the league. That was November 7th, at which point the Rangers had totaled only 18 goals in 12 games. But New York exploded, skating to a 6-6 tie while extending its unbeaten streak against the Maple Leafs to nine games (8-0-1).
Tonight, Toronto will be looking for its first win against the Rangers since January 30th, 1993.
Thanks to a rejuvenated offense that has produced 47 goals during a 6-3-4 stretch, New York has won four straight games and is in the midst of its longest winning streak since December 13th-22nd, 1996, when it claimed five in a row.
The Leafs have been just as hot, going 6-1 in their last seven games. They are tied with New Jersey for the league's second-best record with 32 points, one behind Phoenix. They lead Buffalo by two points in the Northeast Division.
Toronto finished last in the Central Division last season with just 69 points.
The Leafs extended their winning streak to three games Saturday with a 4-3 overtime victory over Montreal. In the win, Toronto got goals from Tomas Kaberle, Tie Domi and rookie Daniil Markov, who have combined for seven this season.
Free-agent signee Curtis Joseph is earning his money for the Leafs, starting each game during the 6-1 stretch. He has allowed more than three goals just twice in the past month.
Mike Richter, who re-signed with the Rangers in the offseason, has been equally effective, playing every game during New York's unbeaten streak. He has also allowed more than three goals just twice in the past month.
In what coach John Muckler called his best game of the season Saturday, Richter stopped 29 shots in a 2-1 win over Ottawa.
Center Petr Nedved had an assist in the victory. Since being acquired from Pittsburgh, he has recorded at least one point in all six games.
Saturday December 5, 1998 Toronto at Montreal 7pm
A couple of old rivals experiencing very different seasons face off tonight at the Molson Centre as the Toronto Maple Leafs oppose the Montreal Canadiens for the first time this season.
Vastly improved from last season, the Maple Leafs have won five of their last six games overall but have been an ordinary road team (5-6-0). Now that the Leafs have moved to the Eastern Conference, they will face the rival Canadiens five times instead of twice.
Over its last six contests, Toronto has four one-goal wins with Curtis Joseph in net each game. Jospeh has allowed 11 goals in that span and is 11-7-2 with a 2.44 goals-against average in his first season with the Leafs.
Look for Toronto to give right wing Steve Thomas the puck as much as possible. The Leafs are 11-0-1 this season when he records at least one point.
A win tonight would be the 15th of the season for the Leafs, who did not win their 15th game last year until January 21st in their 46th contest.
Montreal gave up a late goal but held on for a 1-1 tie with the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The Canadiens are 1-4-1 in their last six games overall and have just two wins in their last 11 contests (2-9-0).
If nothing else, the Habs seem to have settled upon a No. 1 goaltender. Jeff Hackett has started six of the last seven games and been solid in each of the last three contests.
The teams split two meetings last season with each winning on the road. Montreal is 6-4-0 in the last 10 meetings.
Wednesday December 2, 1998 Los Angeles at Toronto 7:30pm
The floundering Los Angeles Kings shoot for just their second win in 10 games tonight when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have won six straight home games. Los Angeles, which is coming off Monday's 3-1 loss in Montreal, is tied with San Jose for last place in the Pacific Division with 15 points, one more than the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have the league's worst mark.
Goaltender Stephane Fiset stopped 27 shots Monday in his first start since suffering a groin injury on October 28th.
Los Angeles is 1-8 in its last nine games, defeating Chicago, 5-0, on November 21st. The Kings, who have dropped four straight on the road, have been limited to one goal or less in five of their last eight contests.
Derek King scored on the power play 42 seconds into overtime Saturday as Toronto edged the Ottawa Senators for their fourth win in five games overall. The Leafs have won six straight at Maple Leaf Gardens, where they are 8-3-2 this season.
Steve Thomas also scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 11-0-1 when he records at least one point.
A win tonight would be the 14th of the season for Toronto, which did not record its 14th win last year until January 7th -- its 42nd game.
The Kings are 6-2-1 in their last nine games against the Maple Leafs. The teams split four meetings last season.