<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<rss version="2.0">
	<channel>		<title>RUWT? News</title>
		<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com</link>
		<description>RUWT? News for Toronto Maple Leafs</description>
		<language>en-us</language>
		<copyright>Copyright 2006-2007 areyouwatchingthis.com</copyright>
		<lastBuildDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:21:58 GMT</lastBuildDate>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:21:58 GMT</pubDate>
		<generator>RUWT?</generator>

		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Kessel, Hagman lift Maple Leafs in shootout]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs figured they had nothing to
lose.

Locked in a winless slide and facing another potential loss in
the shootout, the Maple Leafs decided to turn around their
helmets in an effort to turn their luck.

Phil Kessel and Niklas Hagman each responded with shootout
goals, and Vesa Toskala turned aside a pair of Washington
shooters, giving Toronto a 2-1 victory over the Capitals on
Saturday night.

It was the first time in seven attempts this season the Leafs
had won a game that went to extra time. Nothing about this
season seems to have gone to plan and the players had no concern
about looking silly in their rally helmets.

"It doesn't matter how we look if we win," Hagman said. "You've
got to change something up."

Added coach Ron Wilson: "It's nice that they're trying to change
their luck."

The Maple Leafs are off to their worst start since 1990 - the
last time the franchise had just four wins through 21 games -
but this team doesn't appear to be as bad as its 4-11-6 record.
It has been competitive the majority of nights this season and
is just 2-9 in one-goal games.

A string of bad luck changed against the Capitals before the
game even reached a shootout.

Hagman scored Toronto's lone regulation goal without even using
his stick. The Finn was skating hard to the goal when Jason
Blake's shot deflected off a Caps defender, hit Hagman in the
hip and got behind Semyon Varlamov at 16:49 of the second
period.

It was the kind of break the team desperately needed.

"We got a luck break on our goal, but I think we deserved it,"
Wilson said.

The good fortune continued late in the third period as
Washington's Eric Fehr and Brian Pothier each had shots hit the
post in the final three minutes. Fehr also had his stick break
while coming in on Toskala with the Capitals first attempt in
the shootout.

The victory was especially big coming on the heels of Thursday's
loss in Carolina, where Toronto blew a 3-0 lead, allowed the
tying goal in the final seconds and was beaten in a shootout.

"It shows we got character," defenseman Ian White said. "We're
not just going to fold over and skate away."

The Leafs were certainly fortunate to be facing a Capitals team
that was not only playing for the second straight night, but was
also missing seven players due to injury.

Alex Ovechkin scored in regulation for Washington (13-5-5), but
was a shadow of his dynamic self. Overall, the Caps appeared
sluggish and were only able to keep it close because of
Varlamov's 38 saves.

"I think they had more gas," said Ovechkin, referring to the
Maple Leafs.

One person surprised to see Toronto occupying the NHL's basement
is Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. He often watches the team play
on television and thinks the Maple Leafs are better than their
record shows.

"I have no idea why they're in the position they're in, but I
know they're a dangerous club," Boudreau said. "They can throw
guys over the boards, they can play the game.

"They're going to turn it around very shortly. Whether they're
too far (out of the playoffs) or not, I don't know. But they're
going to be a hard team to play against in the not-too-distant
future."

Even still, this was a matchup of teams at the top and bottom of
the Eastern Conference.

No stat better highlights the gap between them than one that
came to light after Ovechkin opened the scoring at 17:11 of the
first period. The goal gave the Caps the lead - something
they've had at some point in all 23 games this season - and
marked the 18th time in 21 games the Leafs have surrendered the
first goal.

Ovechkin's 16th of the season was classic No. 8. He took a nifty
pass from streaking defenceman Mike Green and beat Toskala with
the kind of quick, hard shot that only a handful of players in
the world are capable of unleashing.

NOTES: Ovechkin has 16 goals in 17 career games against Toronto.
... Garnet Exelby and Rickard Wallin were scratched for the
Maple Leafs. ... The Washington sick bay includes: Milan Jurcina
(lower body), Mike Knuble (broken finger), Boyd Gordon (back),
Alexander Semin (wrist), Quintin Lang (broken jaw), Shaone
Morrisonn (upped body) and Tom Poti (upper body).]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/136210-Kessel-Hagman-lift-Maple-Leafs-in-shootout</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/136210-Kessel-Hagman-lift-Maple-Leafs-in-shootout</guid>
				<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:23:07 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Capitals-Maple Leafs Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By ANDY LEFKOWITZ
STATS Editor

Washington (13-4-4) at Toronto (3-11-6), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Despite losing their last game, the Washington Capitals own the
NHL's best home record. Starting a difficult stretch on the
road, however, couldn't come against a weaker opponent.

On Saturday night, the banged-up Southeast Division leaders face
the league-worst Toronto Maple Leafs, who will try to avoid
dropping their sixth in a row.

Washington came away with its first home loss in regulation
since Oct. 8 after falling 3-2 Friday to Montreal. Eric Fehr and
Brendan Morrison scored for the Capitals (13-5-4), the league
leaders with 81 goals.

Playing in his second game after missing six with an upper body
injury, Alex Ovechkin logged almost 23 1/2 minutes and took five
of the Capitals' 34 shots. He failed to record a point, though,
for the fourth time this season.

Michal Neuvirth - a surprise starter in goal - finished with 19
saves in his season debut. Jose Theodore was not with the team
due to personal reasons while Semyon Varlamov was given the
night off but should start this game.

"The biggest thing was I didn't think we were ready at the start
of the game. We were flat. ... We went out there and thought it
was going to be an easy win," said Washington coach Bruce
Boudreau.

Still, the Capitals are 7-2-3 at the Verizon Center, including a
6-4 win over Toronto on Oct. 3. Ovechkin, the two-time reigning
league MVP, scored 1:17 into the game and added two assists
while Alexander Semin scored his first two goals of the season
and had an assist.

Now, Boudreau's club will play 11 of its next 14 on the road,
where it owns a 6-3-1 record. The Caps will begin the trip
short-handed.

Tom Poti left early Friday with an upper body injury, joining
Semin (wrist), Mike Knuble (broken finger), Boyd Gordon (back),
Milan Jurcina (lower body), Quintin Laing (broken jaw) and
Shaone Morrisonn (upper body) among the wounded.

In a matchup involving the NHL's two weakest teams Thursday,
Toronto (3-11-6) fell alone into the cellar in heartbreaking
fashion.

The Maple Leafs led 3-0 after one period against Carolina and
were seconds away from ending their skid. Rookie Jonas
Gustavsson, though, gave up the tying goal to Erik Cole at 19:57
and failed to stop both shooters in the tiebreaker en route to a
6-5 loss.

"We definitely let one get away there," said Matt Stajan, who
scored his fifth goal. "It's been the story all year. ...
Nothing's going right. We score a goal late, it seems like
things are going to turn, and they get one with 2 seconds left.
I'm kind of at a loss for words."

Alexei Ponikarovsky, who had a goal and an assist, tried to
explain what's next for the floundering Original Six team.

"Where do you go? You go back to Toronto, you go to sleep, you
wake up the next morning and you go to the practice, you stay
focused on whatever needs to be done," he said. "Same old things
again, all over. Just get ready for the next game and go out and
win the next one."

Toronto is 1-6-2 at the Air Canada Center this season, and has
alternated losses and wins in its last six home games against
the Capitals.

Ponikarovsky and Mikhail Grabovski each had a goal and an assist
in the loss at Washington last month.

Toronto could be without enforcer Colton Orr (foot), according
to the team's official Web site. He leads the club with 59
penalty minutes.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/135876-Capitals-Maple-Leafs-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/135876-Capitals-Maple-Leafs-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:39:11 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Ruutu lifts Canes past Leafs, 6-5 in shootout]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C.(AP) -- Rallying from big deficits, scoring timely
goals with the clock winding down. These are the kinds of
dramatics that helped the Carolina Hurricanes reach the Eastern
Conference finals last season.

They're also the kind of meltdowns that have left the Toronto
Maple Leafs as the NHL's worst team.

Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen scored in the shootout and the
Hurricanes rallied from three goals down to beat the Maple Leafs
6-5 on Thursday night.

"I know that we have it in this team," Ruutu said, "and today,
we showed it."

The latest meeting of the NHL's worst teams had a wild finish.
Ian White put the Maple Leafs ahead 5-4 with 29.9 seconds
remaining, but Erik Cole tapped in a rebound with 2.9 seconds
left to force overtime - in the same end of the ice where
Jokinen's off-the-skate score beat New Jersey in Game 4 of last
season's playoff series.

After an uneventful overtime, Ruutu and Jokinen beat Jonas
Gustavsson with wrist shots and Manny Legace stopped Phil Kessel
and Lee Stempniak to preserve his first victory with the
Hurricanes. At times during their nothing's-going-right season,
it seemed like that deep playoff run took place decades - not
months - ago.

"We've got tension. We've got a lot of disappointment in there
for where we're at, but they haven't splintered and they haven't
quit on each other," coach Paul Maurice said. "The players still
fight. The players still believe, and they compete."

Alexei Ponikarovsky had a goal and an assist, and Matt Stajan,
Lee Stempniak and Mikhail Grabovski also scored for the Maple
Leafs, who led 3-0 after one period but extended their winless
streak to five.

Now, they have 30th place in the league all to themselves.

"We definitely let one get away there," Stajan said. "It's been
the story all year. ... Nothing's going right. We score a goal
late, it seems like things are going to turn, and they get one
with 2 seconds left. I'm kind of at a loss for words.

"You shouldn't lose a hockey game where you have a 3-0, let
alone one with a lead with 3 seconds left," he added.

Tim Gleason scored twice in the third period, Matt Cullen had a
goal and an assist, and he and Stephane Yelle scored 43 seconds
apart in the second to lead Carolina. Legace stopped 27 shots,
and Ruutu finished with four assists for the Hurricanes in their
club-record fourth straight overtime game.

"Two points? It's better than zero points," Ruutu said. "We've
got to get self-confidence from this game, but at the same time,
we've got to forget this game and do it again."

Gustavsson made 40 saves - and assisted on Ponikarovsky's
third-period goal - for Toronto, which picked up points for the
first time since Nov. 7, having lost four straight in regulation
since.

"Where do you go? You go back to Toronto, you go to sleep, you
wake up the next morning and you go to the practice, you stay
focused on whatever needs to be done," Ponikarovsky said. "Same
old things again, all over. Just get ready for the next game and
go out and win the next one."

When these teams last met two weeks ago, the Hurricanes were in
the midst of their club-worst-tying 14-game winless streak and
lost to the Maple Leafs to claim the indignity of being the
worst team in the NHL. Since then, Carolina lost two goalies to
injury, including franchise cornerstone Cam Ward, and Legace was
brought in to stabilize things for a while.

The situation in the standings hasn't improved much for either
team: Carolina entered winless in 15 of its last 16 and haven't
won a game in regulation since Oct. 9. The Maple Leafs came in
with a lengthy slump of their own, having won only once since
their previous visit to Raleigh. The teams entered with a
combined record of 6-23-10, and each had 11 points - four behind
Anaheim.

Early on, anyway, Toronto seemed determined to stop its slide by
scoring 61 seconds in - the quickest goal Carolina has allowed
this season - on its second shot of the night, then stretched
its lead to 3-0 when Grabovski whipped in a rebound in the final
moments of the period.

Then, things fell apart for the Maple Leafs.

Gleason, who entered with two goals all year, and nine in his
career, tied it at 4-all with 8:04 remaining with his second
goal - charging hard to the net, taking a pretty feed from
Brandon Sutter and beating Gustavsson with a wrist shot.

That came after Yelle started Carolina's comeback with about 3
minutes left in the second by banging in a loose puck. Moments
later, Cullen beat Gustavsson with a wrist shot to make it a
game again.

"I was absolutely awful," Legace said. "And the boys just bailed
me out."

NOTES: The Hurricanes gave up at least three goals in a win for
the first time this season. ... Yelle's goal was his first with
Carolina. ... Nikolai Kulemin had two assists for the Maple
Leafs. ... Toronto scored first for just the third time this
season. ... Carolina D Andrew Alberts rang the left post midway
through the first. ... RW Patrick Dwyer was in the lineup for
the Hurricanes, who called him up from Albany earlier in the
day.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/135530-Ruutu-lifts-Canes-past-Leafs-6-5-in-shootout</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/135530-Ruutu-lifts-Canes-past-Leafs-6-5-in-shootout</guid>
				<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:54:27 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Maple Leafs-Hurricanes Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By BRETT HUSTON
STATS Writer

Toronto (3-11-5) at Carolina (3-12-5), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes are feeling far better about their
chances of escaping the Eastern Conference cellar after earning
a point in three straight games.

Four consecutive losses have the Toronto Maple Leafs less
optimistic about doing the same.

The loser of Thursday's meeting will have the title of the NHL's
worst team all to themselves as the Maple Leafs visit the
Hurricanes for the second time in less than two weeks.

Carolina (3-12-5) snapped its franchise-record 14-game losing
streak with a 5-4 shootout win over Minnesota on Sunday, two
days after earning a point for the first time in eight games in
an overtime loss to the New York Islanders.

The Hurricanes looked like they were headed for two points again
Tuesday in Montreal, but they gave up a late goal and lost 3-2
in a shootout.

"That's the way hockey is," said Brandon Sutter, who has two
goals and three assists during Carolina's point streak. "It's
not very often that you get up by a goal and you hold them off
all game. We had a chance to go up by a couple, we didn't, and
they ended up coming back."

Sutter was called up Oct. 24 to join the team's injury-depleted
roster, and the 20-year-old center has been a big contributor.
He has eight points in his last nine games, including a goal in
a 3-2 home loss to the Maple Leafs (3-11-5) on Nov. 6, and has
been centering the top line alongside Ray Whitney and Erik Cole
while Eric Staal recovers from an upper-body injury.

Toronto earned points in seven straight games (3-0-4) from Oct.
26-Nov. 7 after beginning the season 0-7-1, but the days of
consistently earning points seem to be over. The Maple Leafs
have been outscored 16-8 in dropping their last four in
regulation, most recently letting a third-period lead slip away
in a 3-2 loss at Ottawa on Tuesday.

Both Toronto and Carolina have 11 points.

"It's tough. We're definitely working hard and getting chances,
but, at the end of the day, we've got to find a way to score one
more than the other team," center Matt Stajan said.

The Leafs have scored two goals in each of their four
consecutive defeats, but have found an offensive bright spot in
Phil Kessel. General manager Brian Burke's big in-season
acquisition has points in six consecutive games, beginning with
an assist on the winning goal at Carolina.

Kessel had two goals and three assists in the Bruins' seven-game
conference semifinal loss to the Hurricanes last spring.

Carolina and Toronto both have issues in net - they're the only
teams to have allowed 70 goals this season.

Cam Ward is out until early December with a leg laceration and
Michael Leighton left Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury,
prompting the Hurricanes to recall Justin Peters from the AHL.

Manny Legace, who signed a one-year deal Nov. 9 after Ward was
injured, should start Thursday. He's 3-4-0 with a 3.09
goals-against average against Toronto.

Jonas Gustavsson will likely be back in net for the Leafs after
getting pulled in a loss to Calgary on Saturday and sitting in
favor of Vesa Toskala at Ottawa. Gustavsson made 34 saves in the
win in Raleigh earlier this month.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/135046-Maple-Leafs-Hurricanes-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/135046-Maple-Leafs-Hurricanes-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:03:19 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Fisher scores twice, Senators beat Maple Leafs 3-2]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[OTTAWA(AP) -- Although the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs
are both struggling, their rivalry is still strong.

Mike Fisher scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal in the
second period, to lead the Senators to a 3-2 win over the Maple
Leafs on Tuesday night.

"A lot of hard hits and fights. It was a physical game, back and
forth and some good battles out there," said Fisher, who beat
Toronto goalie Vesa Toskala with a high shot with 5:50 left in
the second period.

The Senators have dominated the season series in recent years,
improving to 20-9-3 against the Maple Leafs since 2005-06 -
including an 11-3-2 mark at home. Six of the last eight meetings
have been decided by one goal.

"Obviously, it was still the Battle of Ontario," Toronto center
Matt Stajan said.

There were three fights in the opening 20 minutes. Ottawa's
Jesse Winchester and Toronto's Jeff Finger got things started
early, dropping the gloves less than 3 minutes in. Senators
defenseman Matt Carkner and Leafs winger Colton Orr squared off
midway through the period, with Orr catching Carkner with a
punch that dropped the big blue-liner. About a minute later,
Ottawa's Chris Neil went at it with Toronto's Luke Schenn.

"It was a fairly exciting hockey game," Toronto defenseman Ian
White said. "A couple of fights, a close game a a lot of
aggression and guys battling. It was good."

Milan Michalek also scored for the Senators (9-6-3), who earned
their first win in three games. Alex Kovalev, Alexandre Picard
and Chris Campoli added two assists each.

Pascal Leclaire stopped 30 shots, including 15 in the third
period when the Maple Leafs pressed for the tying goal.

"It's tough. We're definitely working hard and getting chances,
but, at the end of the day, we've got to find a way to score one
more than the other team," Stajan said.

Phil Kessel and Niklas Hagman scored for the Leafs (3-11-5), who
lost their fourth straight. Kessel extended his point-scoring
streak to six games, during which he has five goals and three
assists.

Rookie defenseman Carl Gunnarsson picked up an assist on
Kessel's goal for his first NHL point. Toskala, still looking
for his first win of the season, made 18 saves and fell to
0-4-2.

Fisher pounced on a loose puck in the slot and slipped a shot
past Toskala to make it 1-0 at 8:08 of the first. It was the
17th time in 19 games that the Leafs have given up the opening
goal.

However, the Leafs tied it 62 seconds later when Kessel crossed
the Senators' blueline and wristed a shot past Leclaire.

Hagman put the Leafs into the lead when he beat a screened
Leclaire less than 5 minutes into the second, but the Senators
responded when Michalek scored on a deflection with at 11:03
with Hagman in the penalty box for hooking.

Fisher got the tiebreaking goal a little more than three minutes
later. Toronto pressed in the third, but Leclaire and the
Senators held on.

"We liked our first 50 minutes of the game," Ottawa coach Cory
Clouston said. "We played our last 10 not to lose. You can't
have success like that, but we got the two points. We needed
(Leclaire) and he was at his best."

Leclaire was at his best in the third when made a great save to
reach his stick back and steer the puck out of the crease after
a fluke bounce almost got past him. He survived another close
call when Leafs forward Lee Stempniak struck the post with a
shot from in close.

NOTES: Carkner leads the NHL in fighting majors with nine. Orr
has seven. ... The game drew a crowd of 17,406 to Scotiabank
Place, almost 2,000 fewer than capacity.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/134910-Fisher-scores-twice-Senators-beat-Maple-Leafs-3-2</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/134910-Fisher-scores-twice-Senators-beat-Maple-Leafs-3-2</guid>
				<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:07:48 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Maple Leafs-Senators Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By CHRIS ALTRUDA
STATS Editor

Toronto (3-10-5) at Ottawa (8-6-3), 7:30 p.m. EDT

While the Ottawa Senators have had trouble closing games
recently, their problems pale in comparison to the season-long
early game struggles of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The slumping provincial and Northeast Division rivals meet at
Ottawa on Tuesday hoping to find some solutions to their woes.

The Senators (8-6-3) went 1-2-1 in their last four games,
getting outscored 6-1 in the third period during that span and
blowing leads in three of those contests. Ottawa squandered a
1-0 second-period lead in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the New York
Rangers and wasted a power play for the final 1:23 of overtime,
then was stymied by Henrik Lundqvist in a seven-round shootout.

"It's frustrating. We need the two points," captain Daniel
Alfredsson said. "We take a couple of penalties down the stretch
that tire us out and we didn't have the push we wanted to in
overtime. We had our chances in the shootout, but it's a bit
frustrating we can't win this game."

Brian Elliott made 27 saves and may have earned another start
for Ottawa since No. 1 goaltender Pascal Leclaire went 2-3-1
with a 3.55 goals-against average in his last seven games.
Leclaire, though, turned aside 26 shots in a 2-1 victory at
Toronto on Oct. 6, his first win in three lifetime starts versus
the Maple Leafs.

Last-place Toronto (3-10-5) has lost three straight, and a
common theme during its brutal start has been the inability to
grab a 1-0 lead. The Leafs have been outscored 23-9 in the first
period, allowed the first goal in 16 of 18 games and fallen
behind at least 2-0 on 10 occasions - eight times in the opening
20 minutes.

Jonas Gustavsson allowed two goals in the first 1:37 of a 5-2
loss to Calgary on Saturday, and coach Ron Wilson pulled the
rookie after he allowed a third goal 9:54 into the game while
making just two saves.

"I don't have one," Wilson said when asked for a reason why
Toronto has struggled early in games. "I'm sorry."

Vesa Toskala stopped 17 of 19 shots in relief and likely will
start Tuesday, in part because of his 6-1-1 mark, 2.23 GAA and
two shutouts in his last eight starts against Ottawa. Gustavsson
faced the Senators in his first NHL start in the Oct. 6 loss,
making 26 saves, and is 3-4-3 with a 3.06 GAA overall.

Maple Leafs right wing Phil Kessel had a three-game goal streak
end Saturday, but did extend his point streak to five games with
an assist. The 21-year-old, acquired in an offseason deal with
Boston, has four goals and three assists in six games after
missing the first 12 following shoulder surgery.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/134485-Maple-Leafs-Senators-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/134485-Maple-Leafs-Senators-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:18:51 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Iginla's 2 goals lift Flames past Leafs]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- Calgary coach Brent Sutter was not happy even after
the Flames' 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday
night.

"Yeah, I'm (upset)," Sutter said Saturday. "I wasn't pleased at
all tonight."

Jarome Iginla scored two goals and Miikka Kiprusoff made 38
saves to lift the Flames.

"The positives here tonight is that we got two points, our
goaltender played very well, the captain scored two goals and we
got a goal on our power play," Sutter said. "Other than that,
it's wasn't a great game on our behalf. We were fortunate to get
a win."

Eric Nystrom, Dustin Boyd and Jay Bouwmeester also had goals for
the Flames, who rebounded from a 2-1 shootout loss on Friday.

Francois Beauchemin and Matt Stajan scored for Toronto, which
has earned just four points in nine home games (1-6-2) this
season.

Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson was left to explain his team's
latest loss.

"At the end of the day, you say it's too much Iginla and too
much Kiprusoff," he said.

Iginla and Nystrom scored 16 seconds apart in the first 1:37 - a
pair of goals that starting goalie Jonas Gustavsson probably
should have stopped.

That left Toronto trailing 2-0 for the ninth time in 18 games
this season.

Beauchemin soon started Toronto on the comeback trail. Niklas
Hagman was screening Kiprusoff when Beauchemin one-timed a point
shot into the net at 5:24 of the first.

However, Boyd followed up on his own blocked shot and backhanded
the puck past Gustavsson at 9:54. That prompted Leafs coach Ron
Wilson to replace his rookie goalie with Vesa Toskala, who had a
good effort during the team's 3-2 loss in Chicago a night
earlier.

Toskala seemed to help calm things down and Toronto carried much
of the play for the next 30 minutes, outshooting the Flames 20-4
in the second period.

"They really bounced back," Kiprusoff said. "The second period,
we weren't ready for that."

Only one of those shots, a backhanded rebound by Stajan, got
behind Kiprusoff.

Kiprusoff has allowed just five goals in his past five starts
and is a big reason Calgary ended its three-game road trip with
a victory. He sprawled his left arm out to take the tying goal
off Mikhail Grabovski's stick late in the second period and
turned away Hagman from in-close in the third.

"Thank goodness he was there," Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr
said of Kiprusoff. "I thought for most of the first period and
all the second period, they were the better team.

"He made great saves. I can't say enough good things about him,
he had a tremendous game."

By that point, Iginla had provided his goaltender with a bit
more cushion. The Flames' captain scored his 11th of the season
after roaring down the right wing and beating Toskala high at
2:30 of the third period, giving Calgary a 4-2 lead.

Calgary eventually turned it on during the third period and got
a goal from Bouwmeester.

Notes: Defenseman Carl Gunnarson played his first career NHL
game for Toronto ... Leafs forward Phil Kessel and Flames
forward David Moss are cousins ... Calgary has opened the
scoring in 15 of its 18 games ... The Leafs warmed up in retro
jerseys.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/134053-Iginlas-2-goals-lift-Flames-past-Leafs</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/134053-Iginlas-2-goals-lift-Flames-past-Leafs</guid>
				<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:44:24 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Flames-Maple Leafs Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By ANDY LEFKOWITZ
STATS Editor

Calgary (11-4-1) at Toronto (3-8-5), 7:00 p.m. EDT

So far on their swing through the Northeast, the Calgary Flames
stopped one skid while failing to end a longer one. They'll have
to bounce back quickly in order to end another stretch of poor
play in a city where success has been quite rare.

Calgary closes its trip Saturday night against the Toronto Maple
Leafs, who look to continue their nearly 15-year dominance at
home over the Flames.

After a 1-0 win on Tuesday over the Canadiens to snap a
four-game slide in Montreal, the Flames followed with a 2-1
shootout loss Friday to Sabres, dropping to 0-4-3 in their last
seven visits to Buffalo.

Daymond Langkow scored 64 seconds into the game and Miikka
Kiprusoff stopped 32 shots through overtime in his 400th NHL
game yet Calgary failed to win its season-high fifth in a row.

"It was physical, and it was a fun game to be a part of," Flames
captain Jarome Iginla said. "We were looking forward to this
challenge to keep our string going because the Sabres have a
good record. Unfortunately it didn't end the way we wanted it
to."

Toronto has been a much more difficult destination for Calgary
(11-4-2).

The Flames have lost 14 of 15 in southern Ontario after March
1994, including nine games played at old Maple Leaf Gardens. Ten
of those defeats have been by one goal, and they've been held to
three goals or less 12 times.

That wasn't the case on March 14 as Calgary rallied from an
early 3-0 deficit to even the score after one period before
falling 8-6. Olli Jokinen, acquired by the Flames 10 days
earlier from Phoenix, had three goals and two assists.

Jokinen, who was picked up to provide a secondary scoring option
to Iginla, had eight goals in 19 games following the trade but
has had a much tougher time finding the back of the net this
season. The Finnish native has only two goals in 17 games,
putting him on pace for nine which projects as his lowest total
in eight years.

Iginla had five goals in a four-game streak before facing the
Sabres. He comes into Air Canada Centre with a run of three
straight multipoint games against Toronto (3-9-5), totaling two
goals and five assists.

Kirpusoff, who started last season's high-scoring affair versus
the Maple Leafs, is 0-1-1 with a 5.56 goals-against average in
Toronto during his career.

Ron Wilson's team returns home following a 3-2 loss at Chicago
on Friday. Vesa Toskala - making his first start since Oct. 31 -
stopped 31 shots to fall to 0-3-2, but his GAA dropped from 5.13
to 4.77.

"Vesa had an outstanding night," Wilson said. "He made a dozen
outstanding saves."

Despite Toskala's solid effort, he's 0-1-1 with a 4.34 GAA at
home in 2008-09. Rookie Jonas Gustavsson, who's allowed nine
goals in four games this month, will probably get the start.

Phil Kessel scored both goals for Toronto against the Blackhawks
to continue his surge after missing the first 12 games following
offseason shoulder surgery. The former Boston star has scored
all four of his goals during the last three games to move into a
tie with Lee Stempniak for third on the club behind Alexei
Ponikarovsky (7) and Niklas Hagman (6).

However, Kessel has failed to record a point in two career games
against the Flames.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133754-Flames-Maple-Leafs-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133754-Flames-Maple-Leafs-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:02:29 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Kane, Huet lead Blackhawks past Leafs]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO(AP) -- No breather for the Chicago Blackhawks, just
another home victory.

Chicago got an unassisted goal from Patrick Kane early in the
game, built a three-goal lead and held to beat the Toronto Maple
Leafs 3-2 on Friday night.

"You never relax," said Chicago's Troy Brouwer, whose
second-period power-play goal put the Blackhawks up by three.
"It doesn't matter where teams are in the standings. They can be
dangerous at any time."

Phil Kessel's second goal of the game, 5:33 into the final
period, pulled Toronto to 3-2 before Chicago held on behind
goalie Cristobal Huet, who made 29 saves in the Blackhawks'
sixth straight home win.

One of Huet's best saves of the night came in the third with the
Maple Leafs on a power play when he stopped a hard shot from the
circle by Matt Stajan on a give-and-go.

"Huet made the saves when we needed him. And for the most part
we did a good job of keeping pressure on and not giving up too
much," said Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith, who had a goal and
assist.

Brouwer deflected in teammate Patrick Sharp's shot on the power
play to put the Blackhawks up 3-0 in the second and it looked as
if Chicago was on its way to an easy

"We let it unravel a little bit," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville
said. "I don't know if we were letting up. They scored a goal
late in the (second) period and that gave them some life. At 3-2
it's a ball game."

Kane intercepted Luke Schenn as he came around from behind the
net, stole the puck from him and scored just 3:22 into the game,
his sixth goal of the season.

About 10 minutes later, Keith's slapper through heavy traffic
gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.

Huet stopped two close-in stuff attempts by Niklas Hagman late
in the period and officials turned to video replay to see if the
puck had crossed the line, eventually ruling there was no
conclusive evidence to show that it had.

"I know they say inconclusive, but I don't know if it can get
more conclusive than that from our point of view," Toronto coach
Ron Wilson said.

"At least it would have stemmed the bleeding in the first period
and we could have come out of the period down 2-1. ... The one
we saw the puck was in and the puck actually was behind the goal
post in his glove. So generally you would have to assume if you
don't see the puck and the glove is behind the goal post, then
it's in the net."

Kessel's first goal with just over 2 minutes left in the second
ended Huet's shutout bid and made it 3-1.

Toronto's Vesa Toskala made 31 saves, including a nice stop on
Jonathan Toews near the end of the third that would have
extended Chicago's lead to three goals.

Toskala made a great pad save against Kane with 2:45 left.

"Vesa had an outstanding night. There was nothing he could do on
any of the goals," Wilson said. "He made a dozen outstanding
saves."

NOTES: Wilson, who will coach the U.S. Olympic team, got a close
look at two Blackhawks players who could be on his squad in
Vancouver - Kane (considered a cinch) and Dustin Byfuglien. ...
Toskala, who battled a knee injury this year and lost time to
Jonas Gustavsson, played for the first time since Oct. 31. ...
Before Brouwer's goal, Chicago was 5 for 40 on the power play
since Oct. 15. ... The crowd of 21,036 was the largest of the
season at the United Center.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133671-Kane-Huet-lead-Blackhawks-past-Leafs</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133671-Kane-Huet-lead-Blackhawks-past-Leafs</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:26:43 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Maple Leafs-Blackhawks Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By ALAN FERGUSON
STATS Writer

Toronto (3-8-5) at Chicago (10-5-2), 8:30 p.m. EDT

Jonathan Toews had just become a teenager the last time the
Chicago Blackhawks won six straight home games.

If Toews can continue his steady play since returning from an
injury, the Blackhawks may have a good chance to duplicate that
feat when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.

Toews was 13 years old when Chicago won seven in a row at the
United Center from Dec. 27, 2001-Jan. 20, 2002, and he has
Chicago (10-5-2) closing in on matching that streak.

After sitting out six games with concussion-like symptoms, Toews
scored in his return Monday to help the Blackhawks snap a
two-game slide with a 4-1 home win over Los Angeles. Two nights
later at the United Center, he had an assist and scored in the
shootout of a 3-2 victory against Colorado.

Patrick Sharp, previously 4 for 17 in shootouts, had the winning
goal in the third round as Chicago improved to 2-0 on its
four-game homestand.

The first-place Blackhawks begin their six-game circus road trip
Nov. 19 against Calgary.

"(This win) means a lot," Sharp said. "These four games this
week at home are huge points for us. We want to take advantage
of this home ice. We got a tough road trip ahead of us. We can't
look too far ahead. We just have to focus on that next game."

That next game has Chicago facing a Toronto team that is
enduring another disappointing season. After back-to-back
last-place finishes in the Northeast Division, the Maple Leafs
started this season a franchise-worst 0-7-1.

They showed signs of improvement by earning 10 points over the
next seven games, but produced an uninspired effort a 5-2 loss
to visiting Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Toronto (3-5-2) was tied with the Wild after the first period,
but failed to score over the next 38:05 while allowing three
straight goals in the second.

"It's not acceptable and we know that in this dressing room,"
forward Matt Stajan said. "We didn't play a full 60 minutes and
at times we looked really flat. We can't play like that in our
own building. We've got to learn from this because these are
costly points. Just as we're starting to creep back in past a
few teams, it would have been a big two points for us."

Chicago won the last four meetings with Toronto, outscoring the
Leafs 18-10 during that span.

Dave Bolland scored 49 seconds into overtime to give the
Blackhawks a 5-4 victory in the most recent matchup Nov. 22, but
he will miss three to four months after surgery to repair a
herniated disk in his back Tuesday.

Sharp has three goals in the last two meetings with the Leafs.

The Blackhawks, looking for their ninth home win of 2009-10,
didn't reach that mark last season until Dec. 10.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133231-Maple-Leafs-Blackhawks-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133231-Maple-Leafs-Blackhawks-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:54:11 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Leafs defenseman Komisarek on injured reserve]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- The Maple Leafs have placed Mike Komisarek on
injured reserve because of a quadriceps injury and expect to be
without their hard-hitting defenseman for up to three weeks.

The Maple Leafs recalled Carl Gunnarsson from Toronto of the AHL
on Thursday to take Komisarek's roster spot.

Komisarek left Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Minnesota in the first
period after just six shifts. He was originally hurt in a win
over Detroit on Saturday.

In 16 games this season, Komisarek has no points, 31 penalty
minutes and is a minus-9. He signed a $22.5 million, five-year
deal with Toronto in the offseason.

The Maple Leafs also assigned forward Jay Rosehill to Toronto of
the AHL on a conditioning loan.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133217-Leafs-defenseman-Komisarek-on-injured-reserve</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/133217-Leafs-defenseman-Komisarek-on-injured-reserve</guid>
				<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:03:09 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Koivu has goal, 2 assists in Wild's win over Leafs]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- The Minnesota Wild took advantage of the lackluster
Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mikko Koivu scored one goal and assisted on two others in the
second period as the Wild ended the Maple Leafs' two-game
winning streak with a 5-2 victory Tuesday night.

Marek Zidlicky broke a 1-1 tie at 5:44 of the period. Then, 26
seconds after Koivu beat Jonas Gustavsson at 17:29, Greg Zanon
made it 4-1.

Niklas Backstrom made that stand up with 37 saves for the Wild
(7-10), who also got goals from Martin Havlat and Owen Nolan
into an empty net to win for the fourth time in five games.
Minnesota won in Toronto for the first time (1-4) since joining
the NHL in 2000-01.

The Wild were 2 for 4 on the man-advantage.

"We were an opportunistic group," Wild coach Todd Richards said.
"You get on the power play, especially a 5-on-3, you have to
score and we were able to score."

Alexei Ponikarovsky and Phil Kessel had goals for the Maple
Leafs (3-8-5), who had earned points in seven straight games
(3-0-4). Toronto failed to build on the momentum of Saturday's
5-1 win over Detroit.

"We seem to struggle when it's not a Saturday night game at
home," Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. "Emotionally, we came out
a little flat. We were just content to move along.

"We're not good enough to get full of ourselves after we've had
a couple of good weeks. I was a little disappointed in our
approach, but more teaching tools for me."

The 4-1 hole after two periods was too much for the Maple Leafs
to overcome.

"It's not acceptable and we know that in this dressing room,"
forward Matt Stajan said. "We didn't play a full 60 minutes and
at times we looked really flat. We can't play like that in our
own building. We've got to learn from this because these are
costly points. Just as we're starting to creep back in past a
few teams, it would have been a big two points for us."

Compounding matters, defenseman Mike Komisarek left the game
because of a lower body injury after taking just six shifts for
2 minutes, 47 seconds of ice time. There was no immediate word
on the severity of his injury.

Trying to give his team a spark midway through the second,
Wilson moved Matt Stajan from the fourth line to the first with
Kessel and John Mitchell. Kessel ripped a shot off the post on a
power play soon after, but that was close as that trio came to
scoring.

Stajan was back between Colton Orr and Wayne Primeau to start
the third while Jason Blake returned to the top unit.

The Wild took two penalties in quick succession, setting up a
three-man skating advantage for the Leafs once they pulled
Gustavsson, but Backstrom shut the door until Nolan's
empty-netter with 3 seconds left iced it.

"You don't see that too often," Backstrom, who earned his 100th
NHL win, said of the 6-on-3. "You can't worry too much. Try to
enjoy it. ... I think our three did a good job there."

Minnesota decided the game in the second period.

Given a two-man advantage when Ponikarovsky flipped the puck
over the glass for a delay of game penalty, Zidlicky broke the
tie when his slap shot from the point got between Gustavsson and
the post.

The Wild extended that lead to 3-1, taking advantage of an
exhausted Leafs unit left on the ice following an icing call.
Antti Mitettinen forced a turnover in the corner after the
faceoff and sent a pretty pass in front to Koivu, who tipped it
past Gustavsson.

Zanon's point shot then hit a couple of Toronto sticks in front
and flew past Gustavsson.

Havlat opened the scoring at 17:42 of the first period.

Minnesota's lead lasted just 26 seconds, as Ponikarovsky whipped
a shot from the side of the net through Backstrom.

NOTES: Forwards Jamal Mayers and Jay Rosehill, along with
defenseman Garnet Exelby were healthy scratches for the Maple
Leafs. ... Wild forward Petr Sykora is out indefinitely after
sustaining a concussion Saturday against Dallas. Defenseman John
Scott was Minnesota's other scratch. ... Komisarek is in his
first season with the Maple Leafs after signing a five-year,
22.5-million deal.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132868-Koivu-has-goal-2-assists-in-Wilds-win-over-Leafs</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132868-Koivu-has-goal-2-assists-in-Wilds-win-over-Leafs</guid>
				<pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:23:59 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Maple Leafs D Komisarek leaves game with injury]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek has
left the game against the Minnesota Wild because of a lower body
injury.

It is unclear when he was injured Tuesday night.

Komisarek took six shifts and played 2 minutes, 47 seconds in
the first period but didn't return to the bench for the second
period.

Komisarek is in his first season with the Maple Leafs after
signing a five-year, $22.5-million deal.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132852-Maple-Leafs-D-Komisarek-leaves-game-with-injury</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132852-Maple-Leafs-D-Komisarek-leaves-game-with-injury</guid>
				<pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:31:01 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Wild-Maple Leafs Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By MIKE LIPKA
STATS Writer

Minnesota (6-10-0) at Toronto (3-7-5), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still in last place in the Northeast
Division, but there's certainly a changing feeling as the
Minnesota Wild arrive in town for Tuesday night's meeting.

After winning one of their first 13 games, the rejuvenated Leafs
(3-7-5) try for a third straight victory in front of goalie
Jonas Gustavsson, while the Wild again look for their first win
at Air Canada Centre.

Problems in net were a big reason Toronto lost its first eight
games, including seven in a row in regulation from Oct. 3-24.

But Gustavsson, a 25-year-old undrafted rookie from Sweden, has
returned from a groin injury and supplanted the struggling Vesa
Toskala, starting six of the Leafs' last seven games while going
3-0-3 with a 2.47 goals-against average.

His best performance came Saturday against Detroit, as he made
35 saves in a 5-1 win - Toronto's first home victory this
season.

"Everybody on the team wants to win and wants to be successful,"
Gustavsson said. "We want the fans to be happy. When we started
playing better, everybody's going to be happy. If we can just
continue like this it's going to be a fun season."

The win extended the Leafs' point streak to seven games (3-0-4)
since a 3-1 loss at Vancouver on Oct. 24. Another big reason for
their surge is an offense that has scored three or more goals
five times over that span after doing it twice in the season's
first eight games.

Newcomer Phil Kessel scored his first goal Saturday in his third
game with Toronto after recovering from offseason shoulder
surgery. Kessel had 36 goals in 70 games for Boston last season
before coming over in a trade.

"When you get solid goaltending it certainly helps," Leafs coach
Ron Wilson said. "... Obviously having Phil Kessel in there as
well, we just have a different feel."

Toronto remains at least five points behind every other team in
its division, and Minnesota is attempting to dig itself out of a
similar hole in the Northwest.

The Wild (6-10-0) have won three of four behind goalie Niklas
Backstrom, who allowed two or fewer goals in each of the three
victories.

In his lone career appearance against the Leafs, Backstrom
stopped 27 shots in a 6-1 win Jan. 27. He has never played in
Toronto, where the Wild are 0-4-0 all-time.

Minnesota's offense is still searching for a spark, held to
three or fewer goals in 14 consecutive games since a 4-3 win
over Anaheim on Oct. 6. The Wild beat the Ducks again Saturday,
outshooting them 37-21 and controlling play in a 3-2 win.

"We played a good 60 minutes together," center Eric Belanger
said. "We stayed composed and did a lot of good things. It's a
step in the right direction."

The team is still having problems on the power play, going 0 for
5 for the second straight game. The Wild haven't converted any
of their 14 chances on the man advantage in the last four games,
while Toronto has killed all 16 of its opponents' power plays in
the last four.

Minnesota will play without winger Petr Sykora, who suffered a
concussion against Dallas. Defenseman Kim Johnsson could return,
however, after missing seven games with an upper-body injury.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132579-Wild-Maple-Leafs-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132579-Wild-Maple-Leafs-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:31:21 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Maple Leafs take care of Wings 5-1]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- With Phil Kessel and Jonas Gustavsson in the
lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs are starting to show big
improvement.

Kessel scored his first goal with Toronto and Gustavsson made 35
saves to lead the Maple Leafs to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit
Red Wings on Saturday night.

After a dreadful start to the season, things have started to
turn around for the Maple Leafs. They've been playing much
better hockey the past two weeks - buoyed in large part by
Gustavsson taking over the No. 1 goaltending job - and have
moved out of the NHL basement by winning two in a row and
earning points in seven straight games (3-0-4).

Wayne Primeau, Jeff Finger, John Mitchell and Alexei
Ponikarovsky also scored for Toronto.

Daniel Cleary scored for the Red Wings.

For Leafs coach Ron Wilson, there's no mystery in the
turnaround.

"When you get solid goaltending it certainly helps," he said. "I
think a big part of the game was a difference in the goaltending
on both sides. Obviously having Phil Kessel in there as well, we
just have a different feel."

Gustavsson, in particular, seems to have helped turn the tide.

He returned from a groin injury roughly two weeks ago and helped
the team win the first game in Anaheim - the night the Leafs'
points streak began. Gustavsson has started five of the six
games since, winning in Carolina on Friday before beating the
Red Wings 24 hours later.

"He's made some saves that I call game-changers," Leafs forward
Jason Blake said. "Right at the key times and they've been
outstanding. Last night and tonight, he was the difference. It
was good to see."

Added Kessel: "Gustavsson in net tonight again - it's
unbelievable. He played outstanding for us."

Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the first period. Primeau scored his
first with the Maple Leafs at 10:34, when he came in off the
wing and beat Chris Osgood to the blocker side.

Kessel extended the lead at 19:34 with a tap-in goal. Jason
Blake's shot had rolled past Osgood when Kessel tipped the puck
into an empty net.

"It's just an instinct thing," Kessel said. "You never know if a
guy's behind you. All of sudden I don't touch it and then some
guy hits it out of there - you've got to bury it. I'd expect
anyone else to bury that one too."

Finger made it 3-0 at 5:21 of the second period after jumping
into the rush and taking a nice pass from Lee Stempniak. It was
a big goal for the defenseman, who has been a healthy scratch
eight times this season.

Gustavsson was sharp once again, coming across his crease early
in the third period to deny Henrik Zetterberg.

"Everybody on the team wants to win and wants to be successful,"
Gustavsson said. "We want the fans to be happy. When we started
playing better, everybody's going to be happy. If we can just
continue like this it's going to be a fun season."

Cleary ended up breaking his shutout bid shortly after when he
sneaked in behind the Leafs defense and scoring at 5:59.

The hopes for a comeback didn't last long. Detroit was quickly
penalized for too many men on the ice and Mitchell tipped home a
Kessel shot on the power play, giving him goals on consecutive
nights.

Ponikarovsky then scored to make it 5-1. It was the second time
this season Osgood has allowed five goals.

However, that's only one issue hurting the Wings. They lost
three key forwards to free agency in the summer and continue to
get hit with injuries - Jason Williams left Saturday's game
after fracturing his right fibula, joining Johan Franzen and
Valtteri Filppula as injured Red Wings.

"We're obviously not scoring like we have in the past," Red
Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I think one of the things we had
to do is get our head around the fact that we've got the same
sweaters (but) we can't play the same way. We've got to find a
way to win.

"One of the things that's been fun about being a Red Wing the
last few years is that we had the puck all the time. We've got
the puck a lot (now), but we're not as dynamic offensively at
all."

Notes: Seventeen members of the Hockey Hall of Fame were honored
before the game - Steve Yzerman, who received the loudest
ovation, is one of five men being inducted on Monday night. ...
Fans sang former Leafs goalie Johnny Bower "Happy Birthday"
during the second period. He turns 84 on Sunday.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132228-Maple-Leafs-take-care-of-Wings-5-1</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/132228-Maple-Leafs-take-care-of-Wings-5-1</guid>
				<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:19:15 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Red Wings-Maple Leafs Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
STATS Writer

Detroit (7-4-3) at Toronto (1-7-5), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Several departures and some key absences seem to have played a
major role in the Detroit Red Wings' slow start. They appear to
be adapting to the change in game plan, winning a season-high
three in a row heading into their lone meeting of the regular
season with a longtime rival.

The Red Wings look to continue their strong play Saturday night
when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six
matchup.

Last season, Detroit (7-4-3) led the NHL with 295 goals and
averaged a league-high 3.3 in the playoffs while falling in
seven games to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Red Wings have failed to duplicate that type of production
in 2009-10 after losing Marian Hossa and Mikael Samuelsson in
free agency to Chicago and Vancouver, respectively, while Jiri
Hudler opted to play in Russia. That trio of right wings
combined for 82 goals with Hossa accounting for a team-high 40.

The Red Wings are also without Johan Franzen (knee) and Valtteri
Filppula (wrist) due to long-term injuries.

Those losses have forced coach Mike Babcock to implement a more
defensive approach, and it appears to be paying off after
opening the season with a 3-4-2 record.

The Red Wings won their third straight and fourth in five games
(4-0-1) by beating San Jose 2-1 in a shootout Thursday. They've
outscored opponents 7-2 during the winning streak, and are in
position for their first four-game run since March 14-20.

"We're not going to win the same way we did before," Babcock
said. "We don't have the team to do that."

Henrik Zetterberg is doing his part to pick up the scoring
slack, getting a goal in each of the last two games and three in
the last four. The center also had the deciding goal in the
tiebreaker Thursday after scoring early in the third period to
force overtime.

Another key contributor has been goaltender Chris Osgood, who
has allowed only two goals on 84 shots to spur the winning
streak. The hot stretch comes after he gave up two goals on four
shots and was pulled 7:05 into the first period of a 5-4 win at
Vancouver on Oct. 27.

"He gave us confidence to play well in front of him," Zetterberg
said of Osgood's season-high 33 saves against the Sharks.

The Red Wings opened last season at home by dropping a 3-2
decision to the Maple Leafs on Oct. 9, 2008. Detroit fell 3-2 in
overtime during its last visit to Toronto on Feb. 9, 2008.

The Maple Leafs (2-7-5) are looking to win consecutive games for
the first time this season after overcoming a two-goal,
first-period deficit to beat NHL-worst Carolina 3-2 on Friday.
Jason Blake's power-play goal with 8:24 left to play gave
Toronto the lead for good, as it snapped a four-game slide,
during which it got at least a point in each contest.

"Whenever they scored, we seemed to sag at that point - maybe
feeling sorry for ourselves," coach Ron Wilson said. "We have to
get mad at some point. I said to the team, 'We've only got one
win in 13 games. When's somebody going to get mad?'"

Wilson may use Jonas Gustavsson in goal for a second consecutive
game after he made 30 saves against the Hurricanes. The rookie
is 2-2-3 with a 2.84 goals-against average, while Vesa Toskala
has struggled by going 0-2-2 with a 5.13 GAA in five games.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131935-Red-Wings-Maple-Leafs-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131935-Red-Wings-Maple-Leafs-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:01:03 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Blake scores winner, Maple Leafs beat Hurricanes]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[RALEIGH, N.C.(AP) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs staked their claim to
29th in the NHL.

The Carolina Hurricanes, meanwhile, are all alone in last place.

Jason Blake scored on a power play with 8:24 left and Jonas
Gustavsson made 34 saves to help the Maple Leafs win for the
second time in 14 games this season, 3-2 over the Hurricanes on
Friday night in a matchup of the NHL's two worst teams.

John Mitchell and Nikolai Kulemin also scored for Toronto, which
has earned points in their last six games.

"We're starting to move in the right direction," Blake said.
"Tonight was a good effort. Obviously, Gustavsson made some key
saves at key times that were game-changers. It was a good team
effort."

Brandon Sutter and Sergei Samsonov scored for Carolina, off to
the worst start in franchise history. The Hurricanes (2-10-3)
are winless in their last 11 games.

"There are no options," Canes coach Paul Maurice said. "You just
have to persevere in these times."

Blake scored on a wrist shot from the slot. With Rod Brind'Amour
off for holding, Blake's shot ripped off the right post before
ricocheting into the net.

"It was a relief," Blake said.

Sutter opened the scoring midway through the first period.
Brind'Amour kicked the puck toward Sutter, who backhanded it
past Gustavsson's glove from the slot.

The Hurricanes took a two-goal advantage a little less than 10
minutes later when Gustavsson couldn't control Andrew Alberts'
shot from the point, allowing Samsonov to clean up the rebound
in front of the net.

"Whenever they scored, we seemed to sag at that point - maybe
feeling sorry for ourselves," Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. "We
have to get mad at some point. I said to the team, 'We've only
got one win in 13 games. When's somebody going to get mad?"'

Hastened, Toronto tied it early in the second.

Mitchell scored first when he slapped a shot from just inside
the blue line past Cam Ward, who was screened by Brind'Amour.
Some 6 minutes later, Alexei Ponikarovsky set up Kulemin with a
nice centering pass from the corner, allowing Kulemin to tip the
puck through Ward's legs.

Gustavsson made a number of tough saves midway through the third
period to keep the score tied before preserving Toronto's lead
in the dying seconds with a flurry of tough saves.

"To be down 2-0 and the way that's gone for us this year - I
think that showed a lot of determination," Wilson said. "I'm
proud of the guys that they didn't give up."

In addition to last place in the overall standings, Carolina
also has scored the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. It
hasn't scored on its last 25 power plays.

The Hurricanes were without two of their leading scorers in Eric
Staal and Ray Whitney. They are sidelined by upper-body
injuries.

"Obviously frustrating when you're not winning," Sutter said.
"We played well, so we have to look at the positives."

NOTES: The Maple Leafs have given up the first goal in 13 of 14
games. ... Zach Boychuk played his first game of the season for
Carolina. He had a breakaway in the second period, but couldn't
convert. ... Carolina has been outscored 22-9 in the second
period.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131904-Blake-scores-winner-Maple-Leafs-beat-Hurricanes</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131904-Blake-scores-winner-Maple-Leafs-beat-Hurricanes</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:35:49 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Maple Leafs-Hurricanes Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By ALAN FERGUSON
STATS Writer

Toronto (1-7-5) at Carolina (2-9-3), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes have averaged the fewest goals in the
NHL while the Toronto Maple Leafs have allowed the most per
game.

It's no surprise, then, that the clubs are among the worst in
the league as they meet at RBC Center on Friday night.

A season after reaching the Eastern Conference finals, the
Hurricanes (2-9-3) are off to the worst start in franchise
history and have gone 0-7-3 in their last 10.

Carolina was shut out for the third time this season Wednesday
night, 3-0 by Florida. The Hurricanes outshot the Panthers 32-25
but failed to convert on five power-play chances, extending
their season-high drought to 13.

The Hurricanes also played without Eric Staal, their leading
goal scorer in the past two seasons, for the first time in 349
games.

Staal, who had the league's second-longest active such streak,
suffered an upper-body injury in a 5-1 loss to San Jose on
Sunday and is expected to miss at least two weeks.

The center has just three goals and two assists in 13 games for
the Hurricanes, who have scored a league-worst 1.93 goals per
contest.

They could have trouble improving that average Friday with
leading goal scorer Ray Whitney and Tuomo Ruutu expected to sit
out with injuries.

"I've seen enough to where I'm as disappointed as I've ever been
in a team," general manager Jim Rutherford told the team's
official Web site. "I still know that there's enough here to
make that turn, but when you watch what we've all watched here
in the last week, it makes you wonder if it's going to turn."

The Maple Leafs brought in Brian Burke as their GM nearly a year
ago to help turn around a franchise that has missed the playoffs
in four consecutive seasons.

Toronto (1-7-5) does not look poised to end that drought as it
has struggled again defensively. The Maple Leafs allowed a
league-worst 3.49 goals per game in 2008-09 and are at the
bottom of the league again this season, giving up 3.92 a
contest.

Toronto, however, has earned at least a point in five straight
games since its only win Oct. 26. The Maple Leafs lost their
fourth straight Tuesday night - all beyond regulation - 2-1 in
overtime to Tampa Bay.

Ian White got the tying goal early in the third period, but Ryan
Malone scored 2:21 into the extra session.

"We have to persevere, we can't change what we're doing because
we're right there knocking on the door," coach Ron Wilson said.
"We've just got to find a way to knock the door completely
down."

Carolina is second worst in the NHL with 3.64 goals allowed per
game, while Toronto is among the league's lowest-scoring teams
at 2.38 goals per contest.

The Hurricanes won six of the last eight meetings with the
Leafs, though Toronto snapped Carolina's three-game home win
streak in the series with a 6-4 victory Jan. 15.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131571-Maple-Leafs-Hurricanes-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131571-Maple-Leafs-Hurricanes-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:55:11 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Malone scores in OT to give Lightning win]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- Antero Niittymaki shut the Maple Leafs down, and
Ryan Malone rewarded him with a win.

Malone scored at 2:21 of overtime, giving the Tampa Bay
Lightning a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday
night.

"We really met the challenge tonight," coach Rick Tocchet said.
"We killed five, six penalties in a row. Guys really willed (the
win) and obviously Nittymaki played unbelievable for us."

Malone tapped in an awkward shot that bounced over Jonas
Gustavsson moments after John Mitchell nearly won it for the
Maple Leafs on a pretty rush, with the puck nearly taking
another funny hop into the goal.

Malone's goal stood up after a video review.

Niittymaki turned aside chance after chance while Vincent
Lecavalier opened the scoring for the Lightning (5-4-4), who won
their first road game of the season (1-4-1).

But Ian White scored a power-play goal at 5:04 of the third
period for the Maple Leafs (1-7-5), who have lost four straight
games in extra time and remained winless at home (0-4-2) in
front of a crowd of 19,301.

The Maple Leafs wasted their first six power-play opportunities,
including a two-man advantage for 49 seconds early in the second
and another in the final minutes.

"We have to persevere, we can't change what we're doing because
we're right there knocking on the door," Leafs coach Ron Wilson
said. "We've just got to find a way to knock the door completely
down."

One Leafs player that Niittymaki repeatedly turned aside was
Phil Kessel, playing his first game for Toronto since being
acquired in a September trade with Boston for two first-round
picks and a second-round selection. He had been sidelined while
recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

The speedy 22-year-old looked strong on the puck and showed no
fear going into the corners when he had to. But Kessel took a
hard hit from Mattias Ohlund.

"You've got to give him a double thumbs up for taking a hit like
that, a massive hit and coming back and still being a dominant
player every shift," Wilson said.

In the second period, Gustavsson played a puck that might have
been icing behind his goal and fired it into the neutral zone,
where Ohlund picked it off.

The Swedish defenseman charged in and fired a slapshot that
Gustavsson kicked right to Lecavalier, who fired the rebound
into the empty net at 18:34 of the middle period for his second
of the season.

It was the 12th time in 13 games the Maple Leafs surrendered the
first goal.

The timing could not have been better for the Tampa Bay captain,
who is off to a poor start but showed some flashes of his old
brilliance with the entire Canadian Olympic team leadership in
attendance.

They were in town to also take a long look at young Steven
Stamkos, who has 11 goals and five assists in 13 games. Martin
St. Louis would also have been on Team Canada's radar screen.

Kessel, a candidate for the U.S. Olympic team, received a loud
ovation each time he touched the puck and often looked dangerous
once it was on his stick.

"I had a ton of chances let me tell you," Kessel said. "I've got
to find some way to get some of those to go in. First game, got
to get better.

Gustavsson and Niittymaki traded saves throughout the game,
keeping what could have been a high-scoring affair very tight.
Gustavsson set aside 30 shots and Niittymaki 40.

NOTES: With his fighting major, Niklas Hagman now has nine
penalty minutes this season. He had four all last year. ...
Kessel, who signed a $27 million, five-year deal, after he was
acquired, took Jiri Tlusty's spot in the lineup. Tlusty was
returned to the AHL Marlies on Monday. ... Forwards Jamal Mayers
and Jay Rosehill and defenseman Jeff Finger were healthy
scratches for the Maple Leafs, while defensemen Kurtis Foster,
Matt Smaby and Paul Ranger were the Lightning's scratches.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131155-Malone-scores-in-OT-to-give-Lightning-win</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/131155-Malone-scores-in-OT-to-give-Lightning-win</guid>
				<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:44:30 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Lightning-Maple Leafs Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By JEFF MEZYDLO
STATS Senior Writer

Tampa Bay (4-3-4) at Toronto (1-7-4), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Phil Kessel's return to the ice can't come soon enough for the
Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 22-year-old star could make his much-anticipated Toronto
debut earlier than expected Tuesday night when the struggling
Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's been more than five months since Kessel saw NHL action and
two since Toronto (1-7-4) acquired him by sending a pair of
first-round picks and a second-rounder to Boston in September.
Though it seemed Kessel's recovery from offseason shoulder
surgery would keep him out until around Thanksgiving, he could
be ready as early as Tuesday.

According to the Maple Leafs' official Web site, Kessel skated
again Monday, and if cleared by doctors he could return to the
ice for the first time since finishing with a career highs of 36
goals and 24 assists last season.

"I'm pretty excited," Kessel told the team's official Web site.
"Six months is a long time."

The Maple Leafs, whose six points are the fewest in the NHL,
could certainly use Kessel as they try to find a spark. Toronto
is averaging 2.5 goals per contest, and at 0-4-1 is the only
team without a home win.

Kessel, though, hopes the Maple Leaf fan base won't expect him
to be the savior for a struggling franchise that hasn't been to
the playoffs since 2003-04. He signed a five-year, $27 million
deal with the Maple Leafs after totaling 66 goals in three
seasons with the Bruins.

"They have to temper their expectations," said Kessel, who has
six goals and four assists in 11 career games against Tampa Bay.
"I'm going to do what ever I can to help the team win."

Though Toronto is looking to end a three-game losing streak,
it's earned at least one point in four straight contests. That
still won't satisfy coach Ron Wilson after the Maple Leafs lost
5-4 in a shootout at Montreal on Saturday to conclude a 1-1-3
road trip.

"I could throw out all the cliches, but we still have to find a
way to win," Wilson said. "Which cliche do you want? We never
say die, blah, blah blah? We still need to win."

Their inability to win hasn't been because of the effort from
defenseman Tomas Kaberle, who had a goal and three assists
against the Canadiens. Kaberle, the team leader with 17 points,
had two goals and 11 assists on the five-game trip.

After missing five games with a knee injury, Toronto's Vesa
Toskala made 35 saves Saturday to fall to 0-2-2 with a 5.13
goals-against average. Toskala is 2-2-1 with a 2.65 GAA against
Tampa Bay, but he could give way to Jonas Gustavsson, who's
1-2-2 with a 3.22 GAA this season.

Though Toronto went 1-3-0 and dropped both home games against
Tampa Bay last season, the Lightning (4-4-4) are 0-4-1 on the
road after falling 6-2 at Philadelphia on Monday.

Steven Stamkos and Jeff Halpern scored for Tampa Bay, which has
been outscored 25-8 on the road.

"I'm not saying that we're letting this slide, but I think the
guys in this room are more than capable of handling it," Halpern
said.

After scoring 23 goals as a rookie last season, Stamkos is among
the league leaders with 11 through the first month of play. He
has two goals and two assists versus the Maple Leafs.

Mike Smith fell to 2-3-3 with a 3.64 GAA after allowing five
goals on 18 shots Monday. Though Smith is 2-0-0 with a 1.97 GAA
against Toronto, backup Antero Niittymaki could be in net
Tuesday after giving up a goal on 13 shots in relief Monday.

Niittymaki is 2-1-1 with a 2.17 GAA on the season, but he's
1-3-0 with a 2.54 GAA versus Toronto.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nhl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/130944-Lightning-Maple-Leafs-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nhl/news/130944-Lightning-Maple-Leafs-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:54:23 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
	
			
	</channel>
</rss>









