Coyotes Take Bite Out Of Leafs
Posted September 20, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Welcome to hockey in Toronto Vesa Toskala.
The new Maple Leaf goalie let in a soft goal on the first shot he faced in his forgettable debut, a 3-2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night. He also got his first taste of the boo-birds at the Air Canada Centre.
“Maybe I was trying a little too hard but it’s behind me now,” Toskala said after the game.
The former San Jose backup signed a US $8 million, two-year contract, and he’ll have to earn every cent in the eyes of Toronto’s fickle fans.
“It was the first game in a long time,” said Toskala. “It’s always tough to start a season.
“The first game, it’s hard to know what to expect. Everything is new — new team, new crowd. I don’t know if I was nervous but, you know . . . I’m not happy about the first period but that’s pretty normal after a long summer.
“I really wasn’t at the top of my game right away. I had to fight through it. The second and third I actually felt pretty good.”
So how did coach Paul Maurice assess his performance?
“Not great, not bad,” he said.
Danny Carcillo scored twice and Zbynek Michalek scored the other Phoenix goal.
Tony Salmelainen and Darcy Tucker replied for the Leafs, who are now 1-1-1 in pre-season action.
