PITTSBURGH -- After the Toronto Maple Leafs dodged
numerous bullets in the third period, defenseman Tomas Kaberle
provided the deciding shot in overtime.
Kaberle's goal 2 1/2 minutes into the extra session lifted the
Maple Leafs to a 3-2 triumph over the struggling Pittsburgh
Penguins, who have lost six straight.
The Penguins trailed, 2-1, after two periods before rookie
Michel Ouellet cashed in on the second of Pittsburgh's five
power plays in the third session to forge a tie. However, the
Penguins were unable to convert during a pair of abbreviated
5-on-3 advantages afterward, giving the Maple Leafs a chance to
regroup and start anew in overtime.
"We definitely had the opportunity to win the game there and we
had enough time on the 5-on-3 and we made some bad decisions,"
Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien said. "When you don't win, you
are tense and probably don't think the same way when you are
rushing things and the confidence is not there."
"That was our best opportunity to get the win, but I don't think
we let up after," said Penguins rookie Sidney Crosby, who set
up Ouellet's tally. "We were still pushing and pressing to get
the win and finish the game, but it just didn't happen. We have
to make sure that we take advantage of opportunities like that
because we're not always going to get those kind of
opportunities."
Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn gave the praise for surviving the
shorthanded stretch to goaltender Mikael Tellqvist, who stopped
13 shots in the third.
"It was certainly a trying time and, somehow, Tellqvist got us
through it," Quinn said. "I would say we were pretty lucky to
get through that stretch."
With 2:34 remaining in overtime, Kaberle unleashed a wrist shot
from the inner edge of the right faceoff circle that beat
netminder Marc-Andre Fleury to the stick side, handing
Pittsburgh its 12th loss in 13 games.
"I got to an open spot and no one was around me," Kaberle said.
"But I had a little bit of time to choose where I wanted to
shoot."
"We were crisscrossing back and forth, and two guys came to me,
so I saw Tomas come across and just gave him the puck," said
Toronto captain Mats Sundin, who picked up the lone assist on
the winning goal.
Fleury made 30 saves and Mark Recchi netted a power-play goal
for the Penguins, who fell to 1-18-7 when trailing after two
periods and 0-2-2 under Therrien. All four losses have been by
one goal.
"We could have won those games," Therrien said. "But we are
facing a lot of adversity and are having a hard time finding the
formula right now to win close games. ... We have to keep our
focus."
Sundin collected a goal and two assists while defenseman
Alexander Khavanov - who committed four consecutive penalties -
also tallied for Toronto, which extended its unbeaten streak at
Pittsburgh to six games.
After a scoreless first period, Recchi gave the Penguins the
lead at 7:29 of the middle session. Stationed just above the
crease during a two-man advantage, Recchi deflected defenseman
Sergei Gonchar's blast from the blue line past Tellqvist for his
10th of the season.
Recchi's tally marked just the ninth time in 35 contests
Pittsburgh has netted the game's first goal.
Khavanov tied it just 67 seconds later, thanks to a giveaway by
Fleury. From behind his own net, the 2003 first overall pick
fired the puck up the left wing boards. But it was intercepted
by Sundin, whose shot was stopped.
The rebound caromed to the low slot to Khavanov, who fired it
between Fleury's pads for his second goal of the campaign.
Sundin gave Toronto a 2-1 edge with 38 seconds to go in the
second, when his slap shot from above the right circle glanced
off a defender's stick and sailed past Fleury for a power-play
tally.
Even Quinn was puzzled about Pittsburgh's lack of success this
season.
"You start thinking about all the bad things that are not
necessarily about your team," he said. "They're playing hard,
but you start to wonder why there aren't some breaks somehow."
Tellqvist made 33 saves for the Maple Leafs, who improved to
7-1-0 in the second of back-to-back games. On Monday, Toronto
posted a 2-1 victory over New Jersey.
"Pittsburgh didn't look like they were going to get the
game-winner with two minutes left, so it was a tough game and we
battled hard," Sundin said. "With all the penalties in the
third, I thought (Tellqvist) made some big saves for us to give
us a chance to win."