Toskala gets first shutout as a Leaf
Vesa Toskala made 24 saves, Mats Sundin scored a goal and the Toronto Maple Leafs halted a five-game winless streak by beating the Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Saturday night at Toronto.
Darcy Tucker and Jiri Tlustly also scored for Toronto, which inched back to .500. Sundin’s goal was his 533rd, tying him with Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich for 27th place on the all-time list.
It was Toskala’s first shutout since March 16, against Columbus, when he played for San Jose.
The Senators lost for only the third time in their 18 games. Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber stopped 15 shots and fell to 12-2.
This was a close-checking yawner until the sixth minute of the second period, when Alex Steen had a shot clang off an Ottawa post. The Senators broke back the other way on a 3-on-1 rush only to have Toskala make a huge save.
Neither team could do anything on the power play until Tucker connected with a man advantage with 45 seconds left in the second.
Gerber was on his knees beyond the top of his crease after stopping a McCabe blast when Tucker slipped the rebound into the open net.
It was only the second goal of the season for Tucker, who hadn’t scored since Oct. 13 and not since recovering from a knee injury that took him out of seven games.
The Leafs scored another power-play goal after Wade Redden was sent off for interference at 6:03 of the third. Sundin got his 10th by slapping a shot from the top of the circle to the right of Gerber. The puck found a small gap between the goalie’s right leg and the post.
Tlusty made it 3-0 with 4:05 left in the game. Gerber dove expecting Tlusty to try to put in a rebound, but the 19-year-old Czech fooled him by circling behind the net and emerging on the other side for an easy wrist shot into the open goal.
Blackhawks 5, Red Wings 3: At Detroit, Patrick Sharp scored three times and Rene Bourque added two short-handed goals and an assist to lift Chicago to a win over the Red Wings.
Ducks 2, Sharks 1 (SO): At San Jose, Calif., Corey Perry scored the only goal in the shootout and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 31 saves to lead Anaheim to its fourth straight win, over the Sharks.
Canadiens 7, Bruins 4: At Montreal, Guillaume Latendresse scored late in the second period to give the Canadiens their fourth lead, and Roman Hamrlik, Mike Komisarek and Alex Kovalev added third-period goals to lift Montreal to a win over Boston.
Hurricanes 2, Panthers 1: At Raleigh, N.C., Rod Brind’Amour scored two goals, including one allowed after a video review, and Carolina rebounded from its first home shutout of the season to beat Florida.
Rangers 4, Penguins 3 (OT): At Pittsburgh, Jason Strudwick scored on a 2-on-1 break with fellow Rangers defenseman Paul Mara in overtime and New York rallied from two goals down, then withstood a late Penguins goal to beat Pittsburgh for its fifth straight victory.
Devils 6, Flyers 2: At Philadelphia, Martin Brodeur gave Patrick Roy some company in the 500 victory club. Brodeur reached one of hockey’s rarest milestones, stopping all but two shots in a modest effort thanks to some of New Jersey’s usual stout defense and earned his 500th NHL win. Brodeur made 26 saves in the Devils’ win over the Flyers and joined Roy as the only goalies in NHL history with that many victories.
Blues 3, Predators 2 (SO): At Nashville, Tenn., Brad Boyes scored the only goal in the shootout, and St. Louis won its third straight by beating the Predators.
Flames 3, Oilers 1: At Edmonton, Alberta, Owen Nolan and Matthew Lombardi had a goal and an assist each in Calgary’s victory over the Oilers.
Coyotes 1, Kings 0: At Los Angeles, Ilya Bryzgalov posted his third career shutout with 27 saves just hours after joining his new Phoenix teammates, Shane Doan had a power-play goal and the Coyotes beat the Kings to snap a three-game losing streak.
Around the league
Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu will miss about a week with a cracked bone in his left leg, the result of a vicious, stick-swinging hit by Vancouver’s Mattias Ohlund Friday night.