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Blake helps Leafs continue Senators' road woes

Jan 4, 2009 - 4:50 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- The Ottawa Senators cannot wait to get home.

Jason Blake scored a goal and set up another as the Toronto Maple Leafs skated to a 3-1 triumph over the road-weary Senators on Saturday.

Dominic Moore and Alexei Ponikarovsky also tallied for the Maple Leafs, who had lost four of their previous five games.

"They came out flying and I think we responded well," Toronto defenseman Pavel Kubina said. "It was a physical game. It was a big rival and it was a huge win for us."

Captain Daniel Alfredsson scored the lone goal for Ottawa, which fell to 1-4-0 on its eight-game road trip and 1-11-2 in its last 14 away from home overall.

"I don't know. I wish we had the answers. We'd use them," Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu said. "It's frustrating. The effort was there, and to end up losing the way we did, it's just, what can you do? A lot of questions and no answers."

"I don't think (the problem is) the road. That's just a coincidence," Senators right wing Dany Heatley said. "I think it has been overall. Every game, we just find a way to lose."

The Senators, who have won just four of 18 road games this season after going 21-16-4 away from Scotiabank Place in 2007-08, got off to a good start in this one.

With Kubina serving a cross-checking penalty, Alfredsson received a pass from the top of the slot by Jason Spezza and one-timed the puck past goaltender Vesa Toskala from below the left faceoff circle at 7:05 for a 1-0 lead.

But that was all Toskala would allow as the Finn turned aside 30 shots, including 14 in the third period.

"A little bit jumping around in the first, but I started to feel a little bit more comfortable in the second," Toskala said.

"A very tough loss for us," Alfredsson said. "We started the game really good, created a lot of chances. Toskala played outstanding tonight. We should've had four or five goals. He keeps them in the game, they get a couple of chances and score."

Moore evened the contest midway through the second period with a power-play goal. After Ottawa blue-liner Anton Volchenkov skated past the puck in the left circle, Moore gained control on the doorstep and put a backhander past netminder Martin Gerber at 9:47 for his eighth goal of the season and a 1-1 tie.

"I've been working on the backhand quite a bit," Moore said. "Fortunately, I have one of the straighter sticks, so that helps. ... Getting that first goal and getting our feet under us was good."

Kubina atoned for his earlier miscue halfway through the third to help put Toronto ahead.

After serving a holding infraction, Kubina exited the penalty box and chased down a loose puck in the offensive zone. From the bottom of the right circle, the Czech dished to Ponikarovsky, who beat Gerber with a wrist shot in the circle at 10:03 for a 2-1 edge.

"I yelled that I was open," Ponikarovsky said. "(Kubina) just looked back, delayed a little, got the defensemen going his way, just passed the puck to me."

Blake gave the Maple Leafs some breathing room with 4:09 remaining, grabbing a loose puck behind the net and tucking it inside the right goalpost for his ninth tally.

"I had quite a few chances and, fortunately, I stuck with it and got a bounce behind the net and it went in," Blake said. "It was a good win for the team, and Vesa played outstanding."

Gerber made 27 saves.