NEWS OF MAPLE LEAFS
Last Update:
Thursday May 11, 2000 12:08AM EST
Tuesday May 9 2000 Leafs' injuries take their toll
No one can accuse Dmitry Yushkevich of being a pansy on blades.
The Maple Leafs defenceman last night admitted he has been playing with partially torn ligaments in his left wrist for the past month. The injury occurred late in the regular season when fellow defencemen Bryan Berard (eye), Danny Markov (fractured foot) and Alexander Karpovtsev (leg) already were out of the Toronto lineup.
"At first we thought it was cracked," Yushkevich said after his club's season-ending 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. "We went to New York for a second opinion and found it was partially torn ligaments, not a crack.
"I took a needle for it every day. I felt like I had to play for the rest of the season because (Karpovtsev) was injured, Danny was injured and Bryan was out."
While every team must battle injuries throughout a National Hockey League season, the Leafs were hit when they could least afford it -- playoff time.
Tie Domi and Darcy Tucker were others who sucked it up and played hurt.
Domi tore ligaments in his right wrist during Game 5 of the the Eastern Conference quarter-final between the Leafs and Ottawa Senators. He played with a cast for the next seven games.
Tucker has worn a bandage over his right hand/forearm since being hit from behind by New Jersey's Bobby Holik in Game 2 against the Devils.
Missing from the lineup last night were Karpovtsev, Berard and forwards Yanic Perreault, Nik Antropov and Wendel Clark.
Karpovtsev was slashed under the left arm by the Devils' Claude Lemieux Saturday night, leaving the veteran defenceman feeling like a knife had been thrust near his heart.
"It was hard to breathe," Karpovtsev said yesterday. "I felt a hard pain, a deep pain."
Karpovtsev, whose heart was racing, was taken to hospital to be tested for cardiac arrhythmia. Although he returned to the Air Canada Centre later that night, he hasn't been able to shake the effects.
"I've been feeling dizzy and nauseous, and that means I can't control what I do on the ice," Karpovtsev said. "And I feel a sharp pain in the whole area."
Recurring back spasms caused Clark to sit out his second consecutive game.
Berard suffered a career-threatening injury to his right eye on March 11. Perreault and Antropov went down with knee injuries in the first round against Ottawa.
"Let's be honest -- those guys were major parts of our team," goaltender Curtis Joseph said.
Tuesday May 9 2000 Shot to hell:
Leafs manage measly six shots, go out with a whimper
For six games, the Maple Leafs were outmuscled, outplayed and outclassed.
And now they simply are out.
The 1999-2000 season officially ended for the Maple Leafs last night, not with a bang but with a plop. Managing a measly six shots on New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was a disturbing way to end what at one time was a promising playoff run.
"It was embarrassing," Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin said after Toronto's season-ending 3-0 loss to the Devils last night. "We played an awful game."
The numbers back up Sundin's claim. The six shots -- three in the first period, two in the second and one in the third -- were the fewest permitted in a regular season or playoff game since the start of the NHL expansion era in 1967, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Devils were the better team, as they were for most of the series. But that was not the problem.
No, what should be of most concern to the Toronto brass was that the team put up little resistance, if any, at the Continental Airlines Arena. The victory allowed the Devils to win the Eastern Conference semi-final 4-2 in games.
Sundin said Sunday his team would play "with desperation." Last night, the Leafs looked like they were desperate to get out on the golf course.
Aside from feisty forward Darcy Tucker and all-star goalie Curtis Joseph, few Leafs lived up to their billing against the Devils, who spent much of the evening throwing Toronto players around the rink like a bunch of rag dolls.
Sundin will take heat for the team coming up short, and deservedly so. Part of a captain's job is to lead by example through the playoff wars, and he clearly couldn't do it.
"I'm obviously disappointed, especially in myself for getting just one point in six games," Sundin said. "We have to take much of the blame.
"I don't care how good the other team is, six shots is unacceptable."
Tucker lashed out at the media for being too hard on Sundin.
"I don't understand why there is so much pressure put on Mats," Tucker said. "Our No. 2 and No. 3 centres (Yanic Perreault and Nik Antropov) were hurt. Mats was our No. 1 guy up the middle and little to back him up.
"No matter what anyone says, we believe in him in this room and we're sticking behind him 100%. He's one of the best captains I've ever played with."
There were plenty of candidates to share the blame for the Leafs scoring only nine times in the series.
There was the foursome of Sundin, Igor Korolev, Steve Thomas and Dmitri Khristich who combined for 90 goals during the season. Against the Devils, they combined for zero.
There was a pathetic power play that did not manage a single goal against the Devils, going 0-for-20 in the series. For the playoffs, when the value of special teams are magnified, the Leafs scored just twice on the power play.
The Leafs were behind the 8-ball right off the bat last night when Peter Sykora scored 18 seconds into the game. Jason Arnott widened the gap to 2-0 when he scored 25 seconds into the second period. John Madden added an empty net goal.
After it was all over, Brodeur said he couldn't recall any of his saves.
"Geez, with only six shots, you'd think I'd remember at least one of them," Brodeur said.
Monday May 8 2000 Seventh heaven ... or hell?
The hobbling Maple Leafs aren't about to let their season be flushed away without a fight, on the ice or off it.
Elimination is staring Pat Quinn's injury-riddled bunch in the face tonight in Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference semi-final against the New Jersey Devils. Many people are writing off the Leafs, especially given that the status of defencemen Alexander Karpovtsev and Gerald Diduck and forward Wendel Clark is up in the air.
No matter, captain Mats Sundin said yesterday. The Leafs are most dangerous when their back is against the wall.
"We're going to be a very desperate hockey club and that is when we are the most effective," Sundin said. "They're going to have to play one hell of a hockey game to beat us."
If the Devils are expecting the Leafs to hoist the white flag, forget it. The Leafs might be down 3-2 in games but that hasn't stopped them from continuing to initiate a war of words with New Jersey.
Firing the shots yesterday was second-year defenceman Danny Markov, who was livid at being assessed a double-minor for high-sticking Devils forward Jason Arnott early in the third period of Game 5 Saturday night with the score 2-2. The Devils scored on the ensuing power play and went on to a 4-3 win at the Air Canada Centre.
Markov was too peeved to talk to reporters after the game, flinging off his equipment in the dressing room before retreating to an area off-limits to the media. Teammate Dmitry Yushkevich said Markov believed Arnott may have cut himself in order to draw blood and solicit the double-minor.
Yesterday, a talkative Markov confirmed those sentiments.
"I don't think I cut him," Markov said. "But the referees did.
"Who knows what goes on? It's Game 5 of the playoffs. How can you make a call like that when the score is 2-2?"
Devils coach Larry Robinson rolled his eyes when told of Markov's allegations.
"Yeah, we told our guys all year that if a stick gets close, bite your lip," Robinson said yesterday afternoon after his team's workout at the Continental Airlines Arena.
"We're trying to get the doctor to implant false teeth. We'll start to carry some blood pills."
Robinson played down the notion that the series has turned ugly.
"Compared to what happened in the first round against Florida, this is tame," he said.
While the Leafs' feistiness may be admirable, it remains to be seen whether they will have enough healthy front-line players to extend their playoff lives.
If Karpovtsev has his way, he'll be in the lineup tonight. But expect the Leafs to exhibit caution with the veteran defenceman, whose heart rate shot up after he took a slash in the chest from Claude Lemieux in the first period Saturday night.
Karpovtsev was taken to hospital to have his heart tested for cardiac arrhythmia. He did not practise yesterday.
"He wants to play," said Markov, Karpovtsev's regular defence partner. "I hope he can."
Diduck skated for the second consecutive day, but that was no guarantee of his availability. Diduck, who refused to talk to reporters yesterday, sat out Saturday with a knee injury.
With both Karpovtsev and Diduck on the mend and Bryan Berard's career in jeopardy because of an injured right eye, the defence corps is a battered bunch. Greg Andrusak, who spent most of the season with the Chicago Wolves of the International Hockey League, has taken a regular role while Chris McAllister and Nathan Dempsey wait in the wings.
"We've had bad luck," Markov said. "You are used to playing with a (regular) partner."
Meanwhile, Clark hopes to test his injured back this morning.
Sunday May 7 2000 Bad blood brewing, ready to boil over
The electricity from the end of Game 5 Saturday was reduced to a few bolts being tossed by Sunday afternoon.
The Toronto Maple Leafs know they need lightning now to strike twice if they are to avoid being ousted from their Eastern Conference semifinal by the New Jersey Devils.
The fact the Leafs came up with their best game of the series was of little comfort as they faced the fact they must win Monday night in New Jersey to force a Game 7 back at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night.
The acrimonious end of the Devils' 4-3 win, which gave them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, was still a hot topic Sunday. The game ended with players on both sides trading punches as time expired. In the middle of it all were Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur and Toronto pest Darcy Tucker who had gone at it all night long.
Devils defenceman Scott Stevens, a huge physical presence for his club after his play slipped a bit in Game 4, joined the fray from the penalty box and Leafs enforcer Tie Domi came off the Toronto bench to fence with New Jersey's Claude Lemieux.
"(The end of Game 5) definitely fired us up and gives us some motivation for Game 6," said Tucker. "They were hooting and hollering and acting like the series was over. Stevens had his gloves off like the series was over."
When he was asked what the consequences of the finish might be, Tucker said Stevens should face some supplementary discipline for leaving the box: "That's the only thing. He wasn't coming out to join the celebration with his goaltender. I guess he thought he won the Stanley Cup if he was taking his gloves off."
The league was reviewing the events at the end of the game but no further discipline was expected.
The fracas at the end capped a last-minute flurry by the Leafs to try and get the equalizer after blowing 1-0 and 2-1 leads. The Leafs finally got some flow going, hung onto the puck and played more of the game in the New Jersey zone, but that still wasn't enough to overcome a couple of power-play goals by the Devils and John Madden's winner. His shot was not the toughest one Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph faced.
"For sure we had the most chances," said Leafs captain Mats Sundin. "We got some pressure down low and made their 'D' play with us more than in the first three games. Hopefully we can build on that.
"I still think they're coming out of their end too easy with one or two passes and it doesn't look like they have to put a lot of effort into it. We rim it in, they make one pass and they're going the other way."
What's becoming evident as this series grinds on is the injury-riddled Leafs can't match the Devils' depth. New Jersey coach Larry Robinson has been able to roll over four solid lines. With winger Sergei Brylin returning to the lineup in Game 5, they are missing only enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa.
The Leafs, already without defenceman Bryan Berard and Gerald Diduck, finished the game with just five blueliners when Alexander Karpovtsev left the game after being slashed in the chest by Lemieux. He suffered an irregular heartbeat and was examined at hospital, but his teammates were hopeful he would be on hand for Game 6.
Less doubtful is winger Wendel Clark, who is suffering from back trouble.
"It's pretty sore," said Clark Sunday. "It's nothing I've had before. It's something different and when the spasm goes away, we'll see what the cause of it is."
The Leafs are already without centres Nik Antropov and Yanic Perreault.
At this point, however, all that stuff has to be checked at the door.
All that matters is this reality: the Leafs have to win Monday night or their season is over.
"We're going to be desperate and we play our best in that position," said Sundin. "They're going to have to have a hell of a hockey game to finish us off."
Sunday May 7 2000 Toronto's best was just not good enough
This time the best team won and even though the Maple Leafs had insisted for days it would be them, in the end their best wasn't quite good enough.
So many times in the past two seasons they have looked adversity in the face and laughed. Well, they sneered at it again last night, but this time they didn't enjoy the last laugh. This time they just got close enough to make it hurt that much more.
Twice last night in a must-win game the Leafs took leads, but twice they had them taken away, or, as coach Pat Quinn put it afterward, made it easy for them to be erased.
The injury list that was already at five ballooned to half a dozen with another casualty. The goaltender, who had got them this far with his sheer brilliance, was again very, very good, but even he has limits and little or no margin for error anymore.
And they just can't find a way to get their big gunners to cut loose, not yet anyway.
Add it up and the evidence is pretty compelling, that the Leafs may not be done (history has cautioned us against counting them out too quickly), but there is a suspicion they are beginning to run on fumes, that they're doing it from memory, but there may not be enough left to get the job done.
Whatever the verdict, the bottom line is the New Jersey Devils, who believed all along they should have been ahead anyway, last night grabbed a 3-2 lead in this Eastern Conference semi-final after they held on to beat the Leafs, 4-3, at the Air Canada Centre.
And this game was probably the best the Leafs have played in the series, but their best with a lineup that is missing three forwards (Yanic Perreault, Nik Antropov and now Wendel Clark) and now three defencemen (Bryan Berard, Gerald Diduck and now Alexander Karpovtsev), wasn't quite good enough against a team that is healthy, that is rolling out four lines, that appears fresher and stronger, that is playing with an unwavering confidence, that chipped away at the Leafs' leads, then built one themselves that was tantalizingly close but too much to overcome in the third period.
"We had a little surge at the end," Quinn said. "But we didn't get it done."
There was a tinge of frustration to Quinn's synopsis, too. Or was it resignation to what is unfolding? Whatever, he can clearly see how close his team is to winning, but that it either doesn't have the resources, or the resourcefulness, to get it done night after night.
He has reached into his bag of tricks and pulled rabbits out on a regular basis to plug gaping holes, with rookie Jeff Farkas playing well the past two games and scoring last night, with rookie Adam Mair contributing though taking penalties that are questionable, with farmhand Greg Andrusak filling in admirably on the blue line.
He hasn't yet figured out a way for his big line to get its act together against the tight-checking Devils, but you get the impression listening to Quinn that the Leafs may be as responsible for the lack of productivity as the opposition.
"I don't believe you're ever satisfied with anybody," Quinn said. "Effort is only part of it. We have a lot of kids trying really hard, but you have to try with reason ... I'm happy with the play of our defence overall, but our forwards have been awful tough to find."
That first period last night, which ended 1-1, was by far the Leafs' best of the series, even though they managed just six shots. They missed the net from close range at least that many times, especially the Mats Sundin line, which was playing with enthusiasm. But they would eventually regret those misses.
The Leafs took the lead again early in the second period, when Farkas sped into the slot and deposited a fat rebound behind Martin Brodeur for his first NHL goal. That lead almost survived the period, but the Leafs fourth line got caught on a marathon shift and the Devils again pulled even.
The start of third period proved disastrous for the Leafs when defenceman Danny Markov received a four-minute high-sticking penalty and the Devils scored the go-ahead goal in the dying seconds of the power play.
That lead grew to two later in the period, but the Leafs kept pressing, giving it their all, there was no denying that. Sergei Berezin cut the lead to one, which created a frenetic ending, but in the end, the best the Leafs had to offer came up short.
"We have a day to fight again on Monday," Quinn said.
It isn't over, of course, because for long stretches the Leafs have been able to convince the Devils to play their game, but if their best was ever going to win, it should have been last night.
Thursday May 4 2000 Cujo leads charge as Leafs show Devils who's boss
The National Hockey League announced yesterday that Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph has been selected a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
A red badge of courage would have been more fitting, based on Joseph's acrobatics last night.
Joseph's heroics saved the Maple Leafs' bacon for most of the evening, keeping his teammates in a game they really had no business being in. Joseph turned aside 34 of 36 shots, many from point-blank range.
And when Maple Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle was credited with his first career playoff goal with 1:35 remaining in the game, Joseph and Co. found themselves with an improbable 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils in front of a capacity crowd at the Continental Airlines Arena.
Kaberle's goal, a shot from the point through a maze of players, allowed the Leafs to tie the best-of-seven NHL Eastern Conference semi-final 2-2. Game 5 goes Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.
"We didn't show our best the first three games," Kaberle said. "We were outshot, but we worked hard (last night). We finally got a bounce.
"It was a big moment. I was very excited."
Afterward, Leafs forward Darcy Tucker admitted the puck grazed off him en route to beating Martin Brodeur for the winning goal. But he wasn't about to dispute the official scorers' decision, especially after such an emotional win.
Joseph, who celebrated his 33rd birthday last Saturday, is up against the Washington Capitals' Olaf Kolzig and the St. Louis Blues' Roman Turek for the Vezina as the top goaltender in the league. Voting for the award was completed at the end of the regular season.
"That's too bad, because he would have received a lot of votes for what he did out there (in Game 4)," Leafs winger Wendel Clark said. "He's outstanding in the regular season but somehow he manages to pick up his game even more in the playoffs, if that's possible."
As Joseph met with the media in the dressing room after the game, beads of glimmering sweat were still trickling down the side of his face. He looked as if he could use a day relaxing in a hot tub to recharge his batteries.
"I'm okay," said Joseph, who was helped by the fact the Devils clanked three shots off the post. "If we had lost, I would be real tired. But I think we're all happy in here.
"They had some good chances, but that's what I'm here for, I guess. It was a great game to be involved in, both as a fan and as a player. It was extremely exciting."
When he wasn't busy attempting to stop the barrage of rubber, Joseph was engaged in a feud with Devils forward Jason Arnott. Coincidentally, Joseph is represented by Wade Arnott, Jason's brother.
At one point in the second period, Joseph broke his stick while hacking Jason Arnott. "There are no friends out there," Joseph said.
After Scott Gomez had given the Devils an early lead, Jonas Hoglund scored at 10:01 of the first to it 1-1. It was the first goal in the series by the Leafs' top line of Hoglund, Mats Sundin and Steve Thomas.
It also was the Leafs' first opening-period goal in 10 playoff games. Hoglund's shot ended the Leafs' first-period goalless drought of 191 minutes 1 second.
Up 2-1 thanks to a Tucker goal late in the first, Joseph held the fort until Claude Lemieux tied the game with 5:46 remaining in the game. Joseph stopped Lemieux's shot but then unwittingly kicked the puck into his own net.
"I couldn't feel the puck and I saw (Lemieux's) eyes light up," Joseph said. "I thought he was going to jam at me, so I went down into the butterfly.
"It was unfortunate, but things happen for a reason. I mean, we won, didn't we?"
Thanks largely to Joseph.
Thursday May 4 2000 Cujo's turn this year?
Dominik Hasek isn't blocking Curtis Joseph's view of the Vezina Trophy this time. But the nuances of National Hockey League award voting just might. Joseph was the lone Maple Leaf selected as the 1999-2000 award finalists were released yesterday. He's up against Roman Turek of the St. Louis Blues and Olaf Kolzig of the Washington Capitals as the league's top goalie.
Last year, 27 general managers gave Joseph more first-place votes than Hasek, but the Buffalo Sabres star won on the basis of more second- and third-place votes. That cost Joseph a chance to be the Leafs' first Vezina winner since the Johnny Bower-Terry Sawchuk tandem in 1964-65.
"I can't worry about that now," Joseph said of last year's close call. "I was still happy with the way everything shook down last season. It's a real honour to be nominated again, but I have this (playoff series with New Jersey) to worry about."
The Blues stand to be the big winners of the televised awards show June 15 at the Air Canada Centre. They have finalists in six of the seven categories after leading the NHL through the regular season with 114 points. Chris Pronger could become the first defenceman to win the Norris and Hart trophies the same year since Bobby Orr in 1975.
All awards are voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association except the Vezina Trophy, which is decided by a poll of GMs, and the Jack Adams Trophy, which is handled by the NHL Broadcasters' Association.
Tuesday May 2 2000 Devils gaining strength as Leafs offence fading away
At least they stripped Martin Brodeur of another goose egg.
That was about the only positive news for the Maple Leafs, who played like rotten eggs last night.
Simply put, Pat Quinn's boys stunk out the Continental Airlines Arena. The Maple Leafs were outhit, outscored and outclassed en route to a lopsided 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, who seem to be becoming more dominant with every playoff game.
"That is why they make it seven games," Quinn said of the NHL Eastern Conference semi-final series.
"Hopefully we can scramble back from this. It's not over yet."
Quinn was disgusted by the Leafs' play in the third period, as some players appeared to wave the white flag.
"If you don't compete, you don't belong here," Quinn said.
By no means are the Leafs out of this series, which they trail 2-1. Should they manage to post a victory in Game 4 tomorrow night, the Leafs would have regained home-ice advantage.
Trouble is, there are no signs to indicate the Leafs are capable of coming back.
When Kevyn Adams broke Brodeur's bid for a second consecutive shutout at 15:43 of the third period, it snapped Toronto's goalless streak at 134 minutes 25 seconds. Their previous goal was scored by Darcy Tucker, who beat Brodeur at 1:18 of the third period in Game 1.
In other words, the Leafs offence is offensive.
Then there are the woes stemming from the penalty box, which has become a Pandora's box for Toronto. The Leafs allowed two power-play goals and a short-handed goal to the high-flying Devils, who again easily were the better team.
In other words, the Leafs' special teams aren't.
The only Leaf who appeared to show up for work was goalie Curtis Joseph. And even his heroics could not stand up forever.
Jason Arnott, Scott Gomez, Patrik Elias, Alexander Mogilny and Petr Sykora scored for the Devils, who have outscored the Leafs 7-3 in the series.
The series shifted to New Jersey last night after producing a pair of snoozefests at the Air Canada Centre. That trend of lacklustre play wasn't expect to change either, given the fact the Devils were back on home ice.
So much for attempting to figure out this nonsensical game.
Instead of a trapping, dump-and-chase, pass-the-NoDoze type of game, the teams locked up in 20 minutes of firewagon hockey that produced more excitement than the first two games combined.
Brodeur stood on his head, stopping Wendel Clark and Dmitri Khristich from point-blank range in the first period. The Leafs peppered Brodeur with seven shots over the first 4:10 of play yet continued to be frustrated by the all-star goaltender.
While it arguably was the Leafs' best period of the series, the fact remains they have not scored a goal in the first period of their nine games of the 2000 playoffs.
The game was an entertaining up-tempo affair for the longest time, with Joseph chipping in with his own brand of acrobatics. All that remained was to see which team would get the first break.
Midway through the second, the Devils did. And it would prove to be the Leafs' unravelling.
Midway through the second period, Adam Mair clipped Devils defenceman Ken Daneyko on the face with a high stick. Mair was assessed a double-minor on the play, and it was quickly evident the Devils could smell blood.
At 9:42 of the second, 37 seconds after Mair went to the box, Arnott completed a perfect tip-in of a Bobby Holik shot to open the scoring.
The crowd went bonkers, and the momentum of the game completely changed.