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Sundin's SO goal gives Canucks win against former team

Feb 22, 2009 - 4:40 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Mats Sundin could not have scripted the story any better in his return to Toronto.

The former Maple Leaf netted the game-winning goal in the shootout against his former team to lift the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory over Toronto on Saturday.

Sami Salo scored on the power play, Alexandre Burrows also tallied and Henrik Sedin recorded a pair of assists for the Canucks, who have won four in a row and eight of nine overall.

In his first game in Toronto since signing with Vancouver earlier this season, Sundin broke a 1-1 tie in the bonus format, beating Vesa Toskala with a backhander in the final round to clinch the win.

"It's the stuff you grew up playing street hockey dreaming about getting chances like that," Sundin said. "I'll take it even though it wasn't our best game."

"He's (Sundin) got more than one move so it's tough to know what he is going to do," Toskala said.

The 38-year-old Sundin spent the previous 13 seasons with the Maple Leafs and is the team's all-time leader in goals (420) and points (987). It was an emotional return to the Air Canada Centre as the Swede received a standing ovation during a tribute in the first period as well as after he scored the clinching goal.

"There's been a build-up for this game," Sundin said. "All the battles and everything we've gone through the last 13 years with the Leafs, so many ups and downs, disappointments and happiness. A lot of feelings come up on the ice and the reaction of the fans was special."

Jason Blake and Matt Stajan had the goals for Toronto, which lost the final three games of its four-game homestand.

Pavol Demitra followed a save by Roberto Luongo against Blake with a goal in the first round of the shootout and Luongo then turned aside Niklas Hagman.

After a miss by Kyle Wellwood, Mikhail Grabovski tied it for Toronto on a nifty move, setting the stage for Sundin.

Burrows extended his point-scoring streak to four games when he tied the contest with 3:57 remaining in the third period. Henrik Sedin found twin brother Daniel at the point and Burrows tipped his shot past Toskala, who made 35 saves on the night.

"It was a little bit lucky," Burrows said. "Danny made a great play and my job is just to go to the net. Danny just shot it on net and I was able to get a stick on it."

After Blake put Toronto ahead with his 22nd goal of the season in the first period, Salo netted a power-play tally to knot the contest at 1-1 midway through the second.

Stajan's goal while the Maple Leafs were shorthanded gave them the lead again with 3:49 to go in the second.

Each team had a chance to score in the final minute of overtime, but Luongo stoned Stajan on a 2-on-1 break and Toskala returned the favor by stopping Daniel Sedin on another odd-man rush.

"I felt good the whole game," Luongo said. "Obviously I made one mistake there the whole game. That stuff is going to happen, but I stuck with it, made some big saves after and we got a big goal to tie it up."

Luongo made 36 saves to extend his personal winning streak to eight games.