Leafs Watch

By LANCE HORNBY -- Toronto Sun
TOUGHENING UP: A long stretch of games against physical teams isn't necessarily a bad thing, many Maple Leafs say.

Though they didn't like to see Sergei Berezin boarded by Pittsburgh's Darius Kasparaitis or Yanic Perreault's arm broken by a slash, many Leafs were satisfied they answered the bell as a team against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

"That was a rough game, but the coaches have wanted us to get tougher," winger Jonas Hoglund said.

The Leafs' conduct in scrums and in one-on-one battles is being monitored closely by general manager/coach Pat Quinn. There is no shortage of unemployed physical players such as forward Mark Lawrence, whom the Leafs investigated before the Islanders waived him. Defenceman Mark Tinordi, once coveted by the Leafs, is coming off a foot injury and could be ready in January, while Marty McSorley has let the Leafs know he's keen. Toronto isn't aggressively shopping now, but the next few weeks will be crucial.

MAN OF 1,000 GAMES: After a long wait because of lineup changes, Sabres defenceman James Patrick, 35, joined the 1,000-game club on Saturday against the New York Rangers. He's the 144th NHLer to reach the milestone.

"I feel very fortunate," Patrick told the Buffalo News. "I've been lucky the game has changed. The Gretzkys and Bourques have set the bar higher so far as how long a guy can play and still be effective."

DULLED SABRES: The Maple Leafs don't want to read too much into the Sabres' problems this season, having learned during the playoffs last spring not to take them lightly. Since Toronto returned to the Eastern Conference last season, Buffalo has a combined 7-3 record against the Leafs in the regular season and playoffs.

"They aren't dead," Leafs defenceman Dmitry Yushkevich said. "But they don't have Dominik Hasek in net, which is an advantage for us. We know Buffalo's style, but we have a mental block against them we have to overcome."

MATS MARCHES ON: With a three-point effort against the Penguins, centre Mats Sundin continued his steady climb up the Leafs' career-scoring ladder.

He is tied with Dick Duff for 18th place with 174 goals, needing two to match Gary Leeman. He has 230 assists and needs three more to pass Leeman, Syl Apps and Red Kelly for 16th overall. Sundin helped kick off the fifth season of Street Buds yesterday, a grass-roots hockey program that enables more than 5,000 girls and boys ages six to 16 the opportunity to play organized hockey at more than 50 Toronto parks and recreation facilities.

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