Sabres Rough Up Leafs
Posted February 21, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Sabres are hot.
The Leafs are shot.
Buffalo continued its surge up the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings with an easy 5-1 victory over a timorous Toronto team Thursday night.
Ales Kotalik, with two, Brian Campbell, Jaroslav Spacek and Derek Roy scored for the Sabres, who are 10-2-2 in their last 14 games for 22 of a possible 28 points in the last month. This win lifted them even with points with the idle New York Rangers for sixth place in the East.
Pavel Kubina scored for the Leafs, who moped their way through the third period with sagging spirits knowing they don’t have a prayer of making the playoffs now. They remain 14th in the East. They’re eight points out of a playoff qualifying position. It might as well be 80.
Ryan Miller was a clear winner in the goaltending duel with Vesa Toskala. Toronto outshot Buffalo 35-23.
The outcome was never in doubt.
Campbell opened the scoring 2:36 into the game with a waist-high slap shot from the blue-line that appeared to catch Toskala off guard.
The Sabres proceeded to take three consecutive penalties, but the fifth-best penalty killing in the league repeatedly trumped Toronto’s 28th-ranked power play.
Toronto had a 14-9 shots advantage in the first period because of the manpower advantages and Miller was outstanding.
Spacek made it 2-0 at the 59-second mark of the second period when his blue-line slapper sailed past a screened Toskala after Nik Antropov had taken Toronto’s first penalty, for holding, with six seconds left in the opening period. Thomas Vanek was at the front of the crease to impede the Finn’s view during the power play.
Kubina got Toronto on the board when he teamed up with fellow-Czech Tomas Kaberle for a rare Leafs power-play goal. Kaberle fed his defence mate a breakaway pass and Kubina, who had snuck behind Nolan Pratt, made quick moves that baffled Miller. Kubina tucked the puck into the open side of the net at 2:48 with Miller sprawled on the ice and Henrik Tallinder serving a hooking penalty.
Kotalik made it 3-1 at 8:59 when he got a pass from Vanek and took a wrist shot from the circle to Toskala’s right. The puck struck the side of the goalie’s catching mitt and dribbled into the net. It was another one Toskala wished he could replay. Kotalik’s first goal in 16 games since Jan. 18 could not have come at a better time for the Sabres.
Roy made it 4-1 at 14:49 with Buffalo’s second power-play goal. The league’s seventh-best power play clicked expertly. Vanek got his second assist when he put a cross-crease pass on Roy’s stick blade for a quick relay into the open side of the net. Mats Sundin, serving a holding penalty, watched from the penalty box.
Thousands among the announced Air Canada Centre crowd of 19,467 booed as the Leafs left the ice for the second intermission.
The Sabres were content to check the Leafs to a standstill in the third.
Kotalik scored an empty-net goal with 52 seconds remaining.
The two teams were at the same place in the standings a month ago, and the Sabres now are nine points ahead of the Leafs.
The building was only half full when the game ended and there were more boos for the Leafs.
