GAME DAY PREVIEWS
Updated: Saturday October 14, 2000 3:59PM EST
Saturday October 14, 2000 Ottawa at Toronto 7pm
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have goaltender Curtis Joseph back in action tonight when they host the Ottawa Senators, but the status of left wing Gary Roberts is unknown. Roberts was injured after getting hit in the thigh with a slap shot late in the third period Wednesday and may not be able to play tonight.
Joseph should be back in goal after resting Wednesday. Backup Glenn Healy filled in for Joseph against the Islanders and stopped 18 shots in a 3-2 victory, including Brad Isbister's penalty shot with 32 seconds remaining.
The Maple Leafs will be playing their fourth consecutive home game to open the season and can complete a 3-1 homestand with another victory tonight. Toronto began the campaign with a victory over Montreal before falling to Dallas.
Jonas Hoglund has continued to build on the momentum built in his breakout 1999-00 campaign. He is the only Leafs' player to register a point in each of the three games.
Ottawa extended its unbeaten streak to three games with a convincing 3-1 triumph over New Jersey on Friday. The victory improved the Senators to 23-9-5 in October over the last four seasons.
Two players who have temporarily silenced critics are goaltender Patrick Lalime and center Alexi Yashin. Lalime was perfect after allowing a first-period goal, stopping 23 shots over the final two periods for the victory. He has made 82-of-88 saves in three strong performances.
Yashin, who was booed relentlessly during home preseason games for sitting out the entire 1999-00 campaign in a contract dispute, has one point in each of Ottawa's first three games.
Ottawa went 3-1-1 against Toronto last season, but the Maple Leafs exacted revenge in the postseason, by completing a six-game elimination of the Senators in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Wednesday October 11, 2000 Ny Islanders at Toronto 7:30pm
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to continue their dominance of the New York Islanders when they battle tonight at the Air Canada Centre. The Leafs had their way recently against the woeful Islanders, posting a 9-3 mark over the last four seasons. Toronto is 3-1 against New York each of the last two campaigns and split two games here last season.
On Monday, Toronto suffered its first loss of the season with a 3-1 setback to Dallas. Curtis Joseph, who blanked Montreal on Saturday, carried a shutout through the first 47 minutes before yielding three goals.
Petr Svoboda scored a power-play goal and Jonas Hoglund added an assist, giving him a point in each of the first two contests.
It was the second game of a season-opening four-game homestand for the Leafs, who went 24-12-5 at home a season ago.
Claude Lapointe scored twice, including the tying goal midway through the third period, as the Isles played to a 3-3 draw with Tampa Bay on Friday. Roman Hamrlik scored and added an assist in his first game with New York.
It was a rare offensive explosion for the Islanders, who scored one goal in each of their last five preseason contests. They closed exhibition play with seven goals in six games.
John Vanbiesbrouck made 21 saves in his first game for New York after being acquired from Philadelphia.
Monday October 9, 2000 Dallas at Toronto 7:30pm
The Dallas Stars seek to avoid the worst three-game start in 12 years when they continue a three-game road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Stars, who tied Colorado in the season opener and lost to Ottawa in the first game of their trip, have not gone winless in their first three games since the 1988-89 squad began the season 0-3, when the club was still playing in Minnesota.
Offense has been a problem for Dallas, which managed only three goals in the first two games.
Center Mike Modano had a goal and an assist in the first period of a 2-2 tie against the Avalanche on Wednesday but was held without a point in a 3-1 loss at Ottawa Saturday as Grant Marshall tallied the lone goal.
The NHL's crackdown on penalties has created a plethora of power-play chances around the league but Dallas has yet to take advantage, converting 2-of-16 opportunites.
The Maple Leafs opened their campaign with a 2-0 shutout of Montreal on Saturday, their first season-opening blanking since 1984.
Toronto has to be encouraged by the performance of Curtis Joseph, who made only two exhibition appearances due to a groin injury. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, Joseph showed no signs of rust, recording his 27th career shutout.
Jonas Hogland and Sergei Berezin tallied goals for the Leafs, who are coming off their first-ever 100-point season and won their first division title since the 1962-63 campaign.
The Leafs continue their four-game homestand against the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators before embarking on a three-game western trip that begins in Vancouver on October 16.
Toronto recorded a 4-0 shutout of Dallas in the only meeting between the teams last season.
Saturday October 7, 2000 Montreal at Toronto 7pm
The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to begin their season on a positive note while handing the archrival Montreal Canadiens their second loss in as many days tonight as the teams collide at Air Canada Centre. Toronto has posted identical 45-30-7 records over the past two seasons, but recorded a team-record 100 points in 1999-2000 by gaining points for overtime losses. It claimed its first division title since 1962-63 before falling in the second round of the playoffs to eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey.
During the offseason, the Maple Leafs bolstered an already talented roster by signing free agents Gary Roberts, Shayne Corson and Dave Manson while trading for defensemen Bryan McCabe. Roberts and Corson will add depth to an offense that already had six 20-goal scorers last season.
The Maple Leafs finished with the sixth-best power play unit last season at 17.8 percent but went a dismal 2-for-43 with the man advantage in the playoffs. They would also like to improve a penalty-killing unit that ranked 20th at 82.4 percent.
Toronto goaltender Curtis Joseph is expected to play tonight after missing all but two preseason games with a groin injury. If he cannot go, reliable backup Glenn Healy will get the nod.
Montreal limps into tonight's contest after being outgunned by New Jersey, 8-4, on Friday. The Canadiens scored three power-play goals and recorded 30 shots, but the young and inexperienced defense could not keep up with the defending champs.
The Canadiens are boasting a young defensive corps while Enrico Ciccone, Christian Laflamme, Patrice Brisebois, Sheldon Souray and Karl Dykhuis continue to nurse injuries. The Canadiens lead the NHL with 536 man-games lost to injury last season while missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The Maple Leafs went 4-1-0 against Montreal last season after going 2-3 in 1998-99.