SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Hockey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
COLUMNS
NHL
The Teams
Full Schedule
Monthly Schedule
Standings
Statistics
Rosters
Injury list
Movement
Trades
Hits Gallery
INTERACTIVE
JUNIOR
MORE HOCKEY
ALSO ON SLAM!
Friday, October 22, 1999
Leafs will be looking for number 49
TORONTO (CP) -- Brian Savage might fool some of the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night.The Montreal Canadiens left-winger led the NHL with nine goals entering Friday's games, which is quite a surprise given his total all of last season was only 16. Sorry, Brian, but some of the Leafs don't even know what number you wear.
Czech defenceman Tomas Kaberle couldn't come up with it when asked.
"No, I don't know," Kaberle admitted. "But we know he's having a good season so we will talk about him before the game."
Defenceman Danny Markov got it on two tries.
"Is it 48?" the Russian begged. "No, I think it is 49."
Right.
At least some of the Leafs know who to look for when the puck drops (7 p.m. EDT, CBC).
Goaltender Curtis Joseph won't have any trouble spotting the spunky Sudburian. Cujo is said to do extensive video homework on all the league's shooters.
"I usually watch for him," says Joseph. "He's got a good shot, and now that he's hot I'll make sure I know when he's out there."
Savage has a bruised thigh but is expected to continue his impersonation of Rocket Richard tonight.
"I'm in a zone," Savage said. "I'm not worried about who I'm going against. You only get that way once in a while, where the puck is following you around."
Making his Leafs debut will be Dmitri Khristich, the free agent signed on Thursday. Khristich scored 29 goals for Boston last season. He'll play on a line with Mike Johnson and rookie Nikolai Antropov.
"I welcome the opportunity," said Johnson. "He's a guy with a lot of talent, a lot of offensive ability, and I'm expected about the prospects about getting to know him on the ice.
"He's a skilled player, strong on the puck, so he should be any easy player to play with."
Said Khristich: "I'm really excited and just looking forward to playing this game. Everybody is already into the season so it will be a little different for me. I'll find out what kind of shape I'm in."
Greg Andrusak also might be making his Leafs debut. Andrusak played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last spring, signed with Toronto after becoming a free agent last July, and was a late training camp cut. With Bryan Berard to serve the second game of a two-game suspension for elbowing St. Louis forward Geoff Courtnall and with Chris McAllister slowed by a knee injury, Andrusak was picked from the St. John's AHL farm to bolster the defence.
Montreal goaltender Jeff Hackett, who was sent flying in a collision Monday with the New York Islanders' Steve Webb, says he's ready to play after sitting out a 2-1 loss Wednesday to Colorado.
Canadiens forward Dainius Zubrus will sit out with a hip pointer, which is a downer for a club needing all the offensive help it can get.
Toronto, 5-3-1-0, and Montreal, 3-6-0-0, have rekindled a traditional rivalry, although the Canadiens' reputation was tarnished by missing the playoffs last season. The Leafs beat the Canadiens 4-1 in the season opener for both teams Oct. 2.
"It's not the same," says Leafs centre Yanic Perreault. "Montreal doesn't have the same team.
"At the same time, they are in our division and games against them always are close and high-tempo and intense."
Meanwhile, Steve Sullivan is on pins and needles. League rules on the signing of free agents required Toronto, after signing Khristich, to place on waivers a player protected in the September waiver draft of veterans. The other 27 NHL teams have until noon EDT today to put in a claim. If nobody bites, says GM-coach Pat Quinn, Sullivan will stay with the Leafs at least until Mats Sundin returns.
"It's a waiting game," Sullivan said after practice Friday. "I'm trying not to think about it but it's tough on my family.
"If I don't get picked up, that gives me two or three weeks to prove I still belong on this team."
Sundin broke a bone in his right foot Oct. 9. Two-a-day ultrasound treatments have speeded recovery. He says he'll have X-rays Monday and "if it looks good I hope to be skating on Monday or Tuesday."
"I'm walking without much of a limp now and putting full pressure on it," he said.
 Bert's back on blades Blue Jays boot game Bombers drop Peterson Felicien rebuilds race | Visit our Polls Archive |