Toronto moves out of last place with 3-2 win over Carolina courtesy of third period Jason Blake power-play goal
In a battle of bad teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs earned their way out of the NHL’s basement by following a formula good teams find works for them.
Throw pucks at the net and crash in pursuit.
The Leafs did and now come home to the Air Canada Centre tonight with a 3-2 win in their pocket and a hot goalie to ride.
It was a technique that counted for most of the goals scored by the two most goal-starved teams in the league – including the winner by Jason Blake who followed up a shot from the line by Lee Stempniak and rang the rebound off the inside post glove side on Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward at the 11:36 mark of the third period.
It was a rare win for the Leafs – just their second on the season in 14 games – and a rare goal for Blake, who seems rejuvenated playing on a line with another speedy U.S. citizen in newcomer Phil Kessel.
“He’s got so much speed its fun to play with him," said Blake, who had a game-high eight shots and scored for just the second time in 14 games.
Blake had been joking in the dressing at the morning skate that the key to the Leafs turning their season around was simple: “We need more Americans on this team."
But he was more serious about his prescription for solving the Leafs goal-scoring woes.
“We need to keep doing the little things and keep going to the net and good things will happen," he said.
While Kessel wasn’t quite as dangerous as he was in his Leafs debut on Tuesday, his speed and offensive instincts seemed to mesh well with Blake, who had just seven points so far this season, and it was the Wisconsin native who – along with Stempniak – assisted on the Minnesota-born winger’s power-play goal.
For the Leafs, it was a rare opportunity to play a team in a shakier mental state then their own as Carolina was looking for their first win in 11 games.
“We’re just trying to stop the bleeding," was ‘Canes coach Paul Maurice pregame hope.
The Leafs made it a little more nervous than it perhaps needed to be when Francois Beauchemin was called for tripping with 22 seconds left, but the Leafs defended that thanks to a pair of Jonas Gustavsson saves in the final seconds to ice the win.
Toronto didn’t make it look easy as Carolina held a 36-26 edge in shots, but Gustavsson erased his share of sins to the delight of his teammates.
“The whole bench gets pretty excited when they see the saves he can pull off," said Wilson.
© Copyright 2009 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.
All Rights Reserved
