NEWS OF MAPLE LEAFS
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Wednesday May 12, 1999 5:44PM EST
Wednesday May 12, 1999 Joseph can't save Leafs every night
It's like they were saying the other day about Dominik Hasek after a rare spring-time loss. But it applies to Curtis Joseph, as well.
He's only human.
That's not a criticism, either.
And wouldn't you know it, the Maple Leafs had to find this out on a night when, in the end, they needed their all-world goaltender just to be superhuman. Again.
That's not a criticism, either.
But last night there probably wasn't a masked man alive who could have covered up for the Leafs' defensive flaws at key times, especially the missed checking assignments in a fateful 100 seconds of the third period, when they had a one-goal lead turned into a stunning 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who lead this Eastern Conference semi-final, 2-1.
Three times last night the Leafs had leads stolen away from them: Twice by the Penguins, once by a seemingly bad call by referee Kerry Fraser, who thought he saw something the television cameras apparently didn't. But until last night the Leafs hadn't lost a lead of any kind, of any duration, all spring.
Until last night, when they had led after two periods this year they had lost just once in 40 games (37-1-2) overall, but never with Joseph in goal, not once in the 31 games (30-0-1) in which he was given a lead to take into the third period.
Until last night. That is not a criticism of Joseph, either.
But if you like omens, or if you look for turning points in a series, that may be the one that bites the Leafs in the behind. It may be nothing, just another loss. Or it may be the first serious crack exposed in the Leafs, that the team that most nights found a way to win, in large part because of the heroics of its goaltender, was finally beaten, 11 minutes of the game.
Compounding matters, that lead essentially was erased by Jaromir Jagr, who continues to play and play incredibly with a painful groin and pelvis injury. Last night, Jagr scored the tying goal on a power play, then helped set up the winner by defenceman Jiri Slegr. The two goals came on just three third-period shots. Jagr also assisted on the Penguins' first goal, the phantom goal as the Leafs called it, but a goal nonetheless.
"On Jagr's goal, we missed a checking assignment," Leafs coach Pat Quinn said. "On the next one we missed another assignment. I thought we played a pretty good game for 21/2 periods, but we didn't respond well to some bad breaks."
In many ways this game wasn't entirely unlike Game 2 on Sunday, in which the Leafs did some things well enough to win, but still made enough mistakes that they easily could have lost. Put it that way, actually, and it is like a lot of nights for the Leafs, but most games Joseph has saved the day.
This time he couldn't and that isn't a criticism, either. Last night he was beaten by, as Quinn insisted, a phantom goal, by defenceman Bobby Dollas alone in the slot, by Jagr alone at the side of the goal, and by defenceman Jiri Slegr alone cruising through the slot.
"They made a couple of perfect shots to tie it and to win it," Joseph said. "What can you do? Those were perfect shots."
But they were also born of miscues on the part of the Leafs, a persistent failure to pick up the late man on the rush drifting into the slot, despite the coaching staff drawing it up day after day on the chalkboard.
"They've been hitting the late guy coming in," Quinn said. "They have the rush, stop, then hit the late guy. We've drawn it up for them ... either they're terrific or we're lousy ... but that's what the game is all about -- mistakes."
Quinn made one himself, getting caught with his fourth line of rookie Adam Mair, Tie Domi and Kris King, who had actually just stepped off the ice, on against Jagr after the Pens had tied it 3-3.
"I put the wrong line out," Quinn said. "That was my fault."
Beyond that, the Leafs also were betrayed by a power play that went stone cold, blanked on four opportunities with just one shot, while they gave up a couple of power-play goals.
And like a lot of nights in regular season, in this game the Leafs found their legs and rebooted the offence, but they also got running around in their own end, they coughed up pucks, they missed checks and they continued to give up quality scoring chances, which is a dangerous cocktail to mix against the gifted Penguins.
But most nights, especially in the playoffs, the Leafs have survived, mostly because Joseph has protected their lead. But last night he was human.
And that is definitely not a criticism.
Wednesday May 12, 1999 Phantom goal menaces Leafs
Like an excited lottery player who misreads the numbers, the Maple Leafs discovered last night that some victories are merely an illusion.
Having overcome a phantom Pittsburgh power-play goal and a voided goal of their own, a Leafs victory at the Civic Arena not only seemed inevitable, it also might have inflicted some serious psychological damage on the Penguins.
The Leafs dominated the Penguins from the 10-minute mark on, outshooting them 28-16 the rest of the way.
All that they needed to do was protect that 3-2 third-period lead for 11 more minutes. But Jaromir Jagr suddenly emerged out of nowhere and triggered a major on-ice train wreck.
Jagr one-timed the tying goal behind Toronto Curtis Joseph moments after Tom Barrasso thwarted Mike Johnson's short-handed breakaway at the other end.
Then, 100 seconds later, Jagr bulled his way into the Leafs end again, this time setting up Jiri Slegr for the game-winning goal.
Slegr's 20-footer was just the third shot Joseph faced in the period, but it was enough to secure Pittsburgh a 4-3 win and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final. Game 3 is here tomorrow night.
As the game-ending horn sounded, a frustrated Joseph hollered at referee Kerry Fraser before heading to the dressing room.
Fraser had awarded Pittsburgh its first goal at 10:42 of the second period, despite no clear video evidence that Rob Brown's centring pass off Toronto defenceman Alexander Karpovtsev's skate had crossed the goal line.
Adding to the confusion was that somehow Kevin Hatcher was awarded the goal.
"I said, 'Good game, Kerry,' " Joseph said later. "That's it. You can take that for what it's worth."
He said he thought he had jammed the puck with his blocker against the post and the puck spun out.
While Joseph was giving his side of the story, Leafs coach Pat Quinn was in another area, complaining about a stolen goal in the first period.
The Leafs' Sylvain Cote beat Barrasso with a 15-foot wrist shot while Garry Valk had one skate in the crease.
"The fact (Valk) was pushed in and held in by holding the stick (wasn't considered)," Quinn said. "So we lose one there and then there's the phantom goal that never crossed the line."
Of course, both controversies might have been forgiven had Johnson scored on his short-handed chance. But he rushed his shot instead of doing what his instincts told him to do, which was to deke.
"I feel very much responsible for not scoring -- especially when they come back and score on the same power play," Johnson said.
"I saw Barrasso far out of his net and I was thinking deke. I think I felt pressure to shoot. I saw him moving back toward his net so I thought I'd get a quick one off while he was skating."
The missed opportunity spoiled what had been mostly a night of redemption for Johnson and his slumping linemate, Derek King.
Quinn before the game had admonished Johnson and King, who had combined for one goal and one assist in eight previous playoff games.
Johnson and King each scored during five minutes of second-period fireworks that turned a goal-less game into a 3-2 Toronto lead.
Johnson's goal was his second in 24 games while King hadn't scored in 18.
Hatcher, Bobby Dollas and Toronto rookie Adam Mair accounted for the other second-period goals.
"I don't think we played that bad," said Leafs captain Mats Sundin, who was in the penalty box when Jagr scored Pittsburgh's third goal.
"We had a lot of shots (29) in their building but their power play got the job done for them.
"We'll come back."
Tuesday May 11, 1999 Cujo dog tired?
Every playoff game seems to breed a new conspiracy theory and yesterday the Maple Leafs unwittingly may have authored the next one.
While the Leafs insist everything is fine with goaltender Curtis Joseph, he was one of only three regulars absent from the club's workout at the Air Canada Centre.
The others missing -- forward Garry Valk and defenceman Sylvain Cote -- were hurt Sunday during Toronto's 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-final.
Both skaters are considered questionable for Game 3 tonight at the Civic Center. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
Cote bruised his leg after stepping in front of a shot while killing a penalty early in the third period, while Valk was shaken up after the Penguins' Kip Miller splattered him against boards with 34 seconds left in the game.
While Miller received a boarding penalty and game misconduct for that nasty piece of business, the Leafs refused to specify Valk's injury.
As for Joseph, both he and coach Pat Quinn insisted his health was not an issue, though the goalie had his mask ripped off during a collision with Tyler Wright in the second period Sunday and was slow to get up after his own teammate, Daniil Markov, blind-sided him during a futile attempt to track down the Pens' German Titov early in the third period.
Titov scored on the play and, for the first time in these playoffs, Joseph appeared to be wounded.
"I feel fine," the Leafs MVP said before the club left for Pittsburgh. "During the playoffs, you don't need to skate every day."
Still, the fact that Glenn Healy and St. John's callup Jeff Reese -- and not Joseph -- faced Leafs shooters yesterday during practice has introduced at least a sliver of mystery into tonight's game.
Whether Joseph's status will distract the Penguins -- much like Jaromir Jagr's groin injury has played with Leafs players' heads -- remains to be seen.
But Joseph was brilliant Sunday. Though he faced only 27 shots, he probably expended more energy than during any of the six playoff games in Round 1 against Philadelphia.
"You have to work a little harder (against the Penguins)," Joseph said. "You're continually looking around for guys whom they might pass to.
"When you see a skilled guy, they seem to have more patience. When they have the puck, they hang on to it for a while. You have to be in the crouch for a while longer."
Joseph also has been getting support from his teammates, who have shown a greater willingness to dive in front of speeding pucks than during the regular season.
"It's nice to see the guys going down and blocking shots," Joseph said.
"That's what it takes, though. All the great teams will tell you at the end of the series, at the end of the game, the winning team has the ice bags on. If we want to win, we'll have to have a lot of ice bags on."
Toronto's goaltender, included.
"For sure there's more contact (with the goalies)," Joseph said.
"Sometimes the ice isn't the best in some rinks. You know it's not going to be a pretty play that wins it and everyone's going to the net.
"That's how you're going to get it."
Monday May 10, 1999 Leafs have been good on the road all year
With a rejuvenated captain and a new left winger, the Toronto Maple Leafs were eager to get to Pittsburgh for Game 3 of the NHL's Eastern Conference semifinal tonight.
The Leafs have played well on the road. They won a club-record 22 away games during the regular season, and they won twice in Philadelphia during their first-round elimination of the Flyers.
Mats Sundin broke out of his scoring slump with two goals and two assists in a 4-2 victory Sunday night that evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1. It was his best game of the playoffs.
"As an athlete you go through periods where you're not able to do the things you want to do all the time," said Sundin, who'd only earned two points in seven games this spring before Game 2. "I felt the best I've felt in a long time so hopefully things are going in the right direction."
He said he'd begun questioning himself.
"You start to wonder a little bit when you're feeling you're not on the top of your game or you're not getting chances to score," he said. "I know when I'm not on the top of my game and I haven't felt like I've been playing very good.
"I know when I have to play better."
He rose to the occasion, as his teammates expected he would.
"He's a world-class player," said right-winger Steve Thomas. "He's one of the top 10 in the league."
The unexpected insertion of left-winger Lonny Bohonos on the Leafs' top line with Sundin and Thomas provided a much-needed spark.
"It was a big step forward for our offence," said Sundin.
Bohonos, recalled after the elimination from the AHL playoffs of the St. John's farm club, scored the first goal and had two assists. Freddie Modin won't be getting back into the lineup any time soon after a performance that gives Bohonos a chance to think about something other than the assault charge he faces after an incident in a bar involving Fredericton Canadiens coach Michel Therien.
The continued strong play of goaltender Curtis Joseph and a reversal of special teams effectiveness also helped Toronto even the series. In Game 1 power plays, Pittsburgh was 1-for-3 and Toronto 0-for-4. In Game 2, Pittsburgh was 0-for-5 and Toronto 1-for-3.
"Winning the second game in this series was huge," said Thomas. "We're going into their building with a 1-1 tie.
"It was a good confidence builder for us."
Still, Sundin continues to fret about his team's defensive play.
"We played better defensively in the first game," he said. "We were able to create more offence (in Game 2) but we also gave up a lot more around our own net.
"I think we can play a lot better defensively to help Cujo out. We gave them a lot of chances to get back into the game when we were up 2-0 instead of taking care of our own end. We played a little too much run and gun."
Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr, slowed by a sore groin, will be looking for his first goal in the series.
"He's not at 100 per cent but he's a really competitive kid," said coach Kevin Constantine. "When a game gets on the line, mentally he's able to put th pain behind him."
Neither team is satisfied with its calibre of play.
"We've got to be better next game," said Penguins defenceman Jiri Slegr. "I just think we have to get more shots.
"This game is about goals."
Toronto outshot Pittsburgh 20-19 in Game 1 and Pittsburgh had a 27-25 edge in Game 2.
"We played a bad first period then we took it to them," Penguins centre Kip Miller said in analysing Game 2. "But Cujo played great and stole the game."
They'll be all over Sundin tonight. Kevin Hatcher, in particular, will zero in on the big Swede.
"He's a great player and we have to keep him in check," said Miller. "You can't give him four points and expect to win."
Monday May 10, 1999 Leafs, Sundin back
For at least one night in these playoffs, the Air Canada Centre turned from Chez Cujo to the House Of The Rising Sundin.
Mats Sundin, the embattled Maple Leafs captain, shoved four points down his critics' throats last night to support goalie Curtis Joseph's ongoing heroics and tie the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final with the Penguins at 1-1.
The 4-2 Toronto victory lifted a cloud from Sundin and a few other Leafs who have been too quiet offensively in these playoffs, while Lonny Bohonos put aside the assault charge hanging over his head to establish himself on Sundin's left wing. Bohonos, who bumped a lethargic Fredrik Modin to the press box, contributed a goal and two assists in his first NHL playoff game.
Joseph has kept the Leafs afloat in these playoffs, while Sundin has been drowning in a sea of bad ink.
"He must have ice in his veins," Garry Valk said of the captain's refusal to snap. "You could write four stories that rip him, but he has been around the league long enough. He's so calm."
Sundin also set the tone with a heavy jolt on opposite number Jaromir Jagr and spent four minutes in the penalty box, two for coming to Joseph's aid when the Pens' Tyler Wright tried to mix it up midway through the second period.
The Leafs were ahead 2-0 and 3-1 by periods -- the first time in the playoffs they had been able to operate with a two-goal lead. It was just the second time in eight games they had opened the scoring outright.
"We started to get some room, but we played a little too much run and gun," Sundin said of the Leafs nearly blowing the leads.
German Titov put Pittsburgh back in it, making it 3-2 at 12:42 of the third, but Steve Thomas converted a Sundin pass at 16:50 to ice the victory.
Characteristically, Sundin played down the weekend stories that chronicled his failures this spring.
"I know when I haven't been on my game. I don't need to read about it," he said.
Sundin, Bohonos and Thomas combined for eight points as the Leafs returned to their regular-season formula of scoring first and keeping the pressure on with Joseph guarding the back door.
Sundin had his second and third goals of the series, including one on the power play. Six of the Leafs' 13 playoff goals have come with the man advantage.
But the unflappable Penguins did back up the Leafs at times, as they had in the defensive-oriented Game 1, forcing Joseph into more Gumby-like contortions. The goalie was down on the ice twice -- when Wright wrenched his mask off midway during the second period, and again with 7:18 to play after Titov's goal when Toronto defenceman Daniil Markov crashed into him.
The only other man to beat Joseph was Kip Miller, who stripped defenceman Bryan Berard of the puck and found a corner of the net despite Joseph getting a piece of the shot.
Jagr had numerous chances for the Penguins last night, hitting the post in the second period and assisting on Titov's goal for his first point of the series.
Pittsburgh tried adding some pizzazz by using five forwards at times, with Robert Lang and Martin Straka at the points.
The series now switches to Pittsburgh's Civic Arena, the league's oldest building, but hopefully one where the maintenance wires aren't crossed.
Before a game in the Philadelphia series, the Air Canada Centre's lights went out, and last night anthem singer John McDermott's microphone died a few lines into The Star Spangled Banner. In true showbiz tradition, McDermott kept going, composed even when a second mike didn't work. He finished the song with U.S.-born Pens goalie Tom Barrasso a few feet away at attention, the only one who could hear him.
When the fans realized McDermott would attempt O Canada as well, they joined in to bail him out until power was restored halfway through the anthem.
Saturday May 8, 1999 Tiny effort from Big Mats
Dan Kesa and Mats Sundin are tied for goals scored in the playoffs.
That isn't necessarily a good thing.
That is, however, a most troubling sign for the offensive threat that used to be the Toronto Maple Leafs.
A new playoff series began last night with the same old offence. No hits. No runs. Too many errors. And nobody left on base.
It is not particularly funny because this is the time of year that players are not paid and Mats Sundin isn't earning his playoff salary.
Not to mention his regular-season stipend. This is the place Leaf management has put Sundin, hanging him out to answer every question when he has no answers and has to be questioning himself.
"I don't need anybody to tell me how I played," said Sundin, knowing the focus of another night without goals and without much hope shines ominously on the captain. "I've been feeling it. I know what my obligation is and what my job is and no one has to question that."
Only it is not happening for him, just as it is not happening for a Leafs team that dined on five-on-five hockey all season and now can't discover where the offence has gone.
This wasn't Game 1 against Philadelphia.
This was Tom Barrasso getting a shutout while on sabbatical.
"It makes you worried when you're not able to get the job done," Sundin said.
It makes him worried. It makes Toronto worried. It has to make Ken Dryden, Mike Smith, Steve Stavro and all those who have anointed Sundin as the leader of this team worried. And more than a little bit upset.
No, he isn't Jaromir Jagr. He isn't going to break open games or score 50 goals.
But one goal in seven playoff games? That is a little ridiculous.
One goal that deflected off a Philadelphia defenceman's stick?
And one assist? An assist that really wasn't an assist, rather a puck that bounced off the butt of a Philadelphia defenceman.
That is it for Sundin's Stanley Cup playoffs. Hockey inflation being what it is, $9 million Canadian dollars just doesn't buy what it used to.
The scorecard on seven Stanley Cup playoff games has to frighten coach Pat Quinn. The Leafs have scored four even-strength goals and every one of them originated from the backhand, every one of them somewhat tainted.
Steve Thomas scored in Game 2 on the backhand against Philadelphia before Sundin got the winner. Mike Johnson scored on a cheap backhand on Vanbiesbrouck in Game 3. Yanic Perreault won Game 5 with a crummy backhand in overtime.
That's it, the Maple Leafs' playoff offence when not on the power play.
So far they haven't scored on a rush, with a forehand, a slapshot, a snapshot, a wrist shot, a deflection, a bank off someone's foot.
Nothing.
Worse, you could see in the players' faces how disappointed they were in the result and in themselves. They weren't smothered by the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. All forwards not named Sergei Berezin seemed to be smothering themselves.
"We didn't play well," a disgusted Steve Thomas said. "They didn't play well."
But Dan Kesa scored the winning goal, the only goal that mattered, a goal where Sundin made a hit and it happened to be Curtis Joseph with whom he was making contact. This is the same Dan Kesa who has played parts of three NHL seasons with three different teams. The same Dan Kesa who had never recorded a Stanley Cup point before last night and is a mere 699 points behind Sundin in career scoring.
"I feel good," said Sundin, talking about his physical state, not his play.
Missing last night, not just from Sundin but from all the Leafs, was a sense of purpose, a sense of occasion, the kind of intensity you might expect from the opening game of the second round of the playoffs.
But never was it generated by the Leafs. For the Penguins, this is how you can win on the road, by playing sound and patient hockey and letting the home team play nervous.
This isn't the same as the first-game loss to Philadelphia. There was a sense after the first game that the Flyers still were vulnerable, a sense that the Leafs had not yet played the way they were capable.
Last night, there was mostly a sense of disappointment, a sense this team has lost an engine and now must sputter to survive.
It's weird, sometimes, how things work out. From behind the net, Alexander Karpovtsev shot the puck and it almost deflected off Steve Sullivan's skate into the net.
The wrong net.
The closest any Maple Leaf came to scoring in Game 1 was on his own goalie.
Not even Dan Kesa, whomever he may be, managed that.
Saturday May 8, 1999 Leafs aim to even series with Penguins
Leaf fans have been moping and pointing fingers since their team's lacklustre showing in Game 1, but the players themselves remain confident they can knock off the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Accusations flew after the 2-0 Friday night farce.
Mats Sundin isn't doing enough and linemate Freddie Modin should be benched.
Second-line forwards Mike Johnson and Derek King are ineffective.
Nobody is hitting.
The whole team is playing with too little intensity.
Captain Sundin and his crew are reading this stuff in the newspapers and hearing it on the sports radio talk shows. They are fully aware of how badly the city craves a winner after 32 years without a Stanley Cup celebration, and of the necessity to even the NHL Eastern Conference semifinal in Game 2 Sunday (7 p.m. EDT, CBC).
"We're putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to get the job done and hopefully we can be a lot better," Sundin said after practice Saturday. "We've been playing great all year and we got by the first round.
"I don't think there's any problems with the confidence of the team or any problems with the belief we can get through this round as well. I think we've shown all year that anytime we have a bad game or a letdown we come back stronger. So, I fully expect us to come out hard."
Part of the problem the Leafs had Friday night was their unfamiliarity with the Penguins, said centre Steve Sullivan. The teams last met in late January.
"We know their style now," Sullivan said. "You can look at tapes and diagrams all you want but it's not the same as playing a team.
"We have to get back to a speed game. That's our power. We were trying 100-foot passes. We have to get back to making those eight- and 10-foot passes" to elude Pittsburgh's neutral zone trap defence.
Toronto eliminated Philadelphia in six games after losing the opener 3-0 on home ice. Anguished wails echoed up Yonge Street after that loss, too.
"Everybody blew us off but we went on to win the series," Sullivan reminded.
Five days off between games hurt the Leafs, said winger Todd Warriner. Pittsburgh was off only three days after advancing over New Jersey in seven games.
"We came out a little flat which might have had something to do with being off for a while," said Warriner. "I don't think it's any time to panic.
"We know what we have to do to win. It's just a matter now of going out and doing it."
Toronto has scored only nine goals in seven playoff games after leading the league in goals during the regular season. Modin is on the first line, yet, he hasn't earned a single point.
"It's not like I'm skating around out there thinking, 'Geez, I haven't scored a goal. I suck.' You just keep trying and eventually they start going in," Modin offered.
Sundin, because he earns $7 million US this season, often is centred out in fan and media criticism when he doesn't steal the show. Don Cherry singled him out during Friday's Coach's Corner on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada.
And the way Sundin's been playing, he couldn't steal a pencil from a blind man. He shrugs off the sceptics.
"I don't feel as if I have any weight on my shoulders," he said. "I'm trying to do the best I can every time I'm on the ice and work hard.
"The puck just hasn't been bouncing our way or hasn't gone into the net for our line or for myself."
It better, warns goaltender Curtis Joseph.
"We definitely need a big Game 2," said the masked man known as Cujo. "You definitely don't want to be down two going into their building.
"We've got to play our A game. Hopefully, we'll make the right adjustments and we'll prevail."
Toronto has defeated trapping teams in the past and can do it again, said coach Pat Quinn, adding that he understands the anxiety Leafs fans can dredge up.
"This is a roller-coaster life," said Quinn. "You're up, you're down.
"That flip of emotions is tremendous and the fans feel the same."