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Toskala wilts in
return
3 goals in 3rd period
comeback
1/12/08 - by Mike Lee
Vesa
Toskala made his not-so-triumphant return to HP Pavilion on Saturday night, in
the Toronto Maple Leafs first game in San Jose in over five years. Toskala
looked poised to stump his former team, but a 3rd period collapse by the Leafs
gave the Sharks an impressive 3-2 come-from-behind victory. San Jose took
advantage of a flurry of Toronto penalties to score all three goals in the
final 19 minutes of regulation.
12 years after the Sharks drafted
Toskala, the prodigal goaltender faced his former team for the first time.
Toronto acquired Toskala, along with Mark Bell last summer in an attempt to
shore up a goaltending situation that has been nothing but deficient for
several years.
After a rocky start this season, Toskala has come on of
late, solidifying his position as the Leafs number one goaltender. His play
over the first 40 minutes of Saturday's game demonstrated why the Leafs gave up
a 1st round draft pick for the netminder.
His teammates spoiled the
return with a number of gaffs that ended up in the back of Toronto's net.
The Leafs got off to a quick start, scoring just 3:19 into the game on
a bang-bang play that started with Mats Sundin circling around the back of the
Sharks net to the right wing boards, then rifling a pass to Nik Antropov, who
deposited a one timer past Evgeni Nabokov. The Sharks were guilty of watching
the play unfold as Sundin skated away from the Sharks net.
The Sharks
traded Toskala last summer in order to give Toskala a chance to play as a
starter, but also to commit to Nabokov as their fulltime starter. That
commitment got a jolting reminder of why having two starters on the roster was
such a luxury after Nabokov got his bell rung on a play that ended with him
laid out on the ice for several seconds.
With Marcel Goc in the
penalty box for hooking, the fog may not have completely lifted from Nabokov's
head on the ensuing power play. Pavel Kubina made it 2-0 with a blast that
Nabokov seemed to have a good look at, but it sailed through the 5-hole.
The Sharks began to turn up the heat in the 2nd
period, out-shooting the Leafs 14-7, but Toskala kept the Sharks at bay.
The beginning of the great Leafs collapse began when Boyd Devereaux
drew a slashing penalty 41 seconds before the 2nd intermission. Toronto made it
to the break unscathed, but the Sharks would break the ice a minute into the
final period. Patrick Marleau uncorked a blast from the point that Toskala got
a piece of, but it fluttered into the goal.
Marleau's goal completely
changed the complexion of the game. With 2 wins in their past 13 games, the
Leafs were playing not to lose. The Sharks smelled blood and attacked.
Things got worse for Toronto after Jiri Tlusty was called for holding Joe
Pavelski's stick, then Hall Gill was sent off for cross checking 43 seconds
later. Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet wasted no time taking advantage of the
2-man advantage, beating Toskala with a shot from the high slot.
That
would allow Tlusty to return to the contest, but Gill's penalty continued. San
Jose failed to score on the remainder of Gill's penalty, but that would change
17 seconds later.
Jonathan Cheechoo would crank a shot on goal from
the left wing boards, that Joe Pavelski would tip past Toskala. The puck
changed directions enouh to sail past Toskala's glove and into the Toronto net.
Toronto head coach Paul Maurice would pull Toskala with a minute left
in regulation, but Nabokov turn aside a Sundin wrist shot. The Leafs would get
no closer, after the Sharks defense blocked three shot attempts out of the
zone.
Game Notes:
The Sharks 2-man advantage was almost
cut short by the clock operator, who let 20 seconds tick off the clock after
the whistle blew on Gil's penalty. After a lengthy review, the correct time was
added back to the clock. Several hundred Maple Leafs fans were in attendance.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| TOR |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| SJ |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, TOR,
Antropov 17 (Sundin), 3:19. |
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| 2nd period - 2, TOR,
Kubina 3 (Kaberle, Toskala), 1:42, (pp). |
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| 3rd period - 3, SJ,
Marleau 8 (Thornton, Bernier), 1:09, (pp). 4, SJ, Rivet 5 (Marleau, Thornton),
8:31, (pp). 5, SJ, Pavelski 9 (Cheechoo, Carle), 10:21. |
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| 1st period - Marleau, SJ
(delay of game - puck over glass), 7:50. |
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| 2nd period - Goc, SJ
(hooking), 1:16; Gill, TOR (delay of game - puck over glass), 2:25; Devereaux,
TOR (slashing), 19:19. |
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| 3rd period - Tlusty, TOR
(holding the stick), 7:31; Gill, TOR (cross checking), 8:14; Kilger, TOR
(tripping), 13:02; Cheechoo, SJ (hooking), 13:02. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| TOR - Toskala |
35 |
32 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
25 |
23 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| TOR |
10 |
7 |
8 |
25 |
| SJ |
9 |
14 |
12 |
35 |
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| Referees: Rob
Schick, Mark Joanette. Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Shane Heyer. |
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