Rangers muck it up

By LANCE HORNBY -- Toronto Sun
Midway through last night's Hockey Hall of Fame game, Curtis Joseph was convinced Wayne Gretzky had come back to gnaw at the Maple Leafs' carcass.

"His mere presence almost killed us," Joseph said of Gretzky and his 160 points in 63 games against the Leafs after the Great One, who will be inducted into the Hall tomorrow, took a standing ovation from 19,261 fans before the game. "I don't think he was cheering for us."

The big casualty of last night's wild 4-3 Toronto overtime win could be embattled Rangers coach John Muckler. Whether a spirited three-goal comeback against the sloppy Leafs buys him a reprieve will be known in a few days.

The National Hockey League's first annual Hall of Fame match proved an unnerving experience behind both benches. The Leafs had just one win in seven games coming into the game and another collapse only was a few Joseph saves away.

"I started out black-haired tonight," silver-streaked Leafs coach/general manager Pat Quinn said jokingly of regaining first overall in the Eastern Conference. "We were forcing some early turnovers and scoring on them. I guess we thought we were pretty hot stuff."

But that was before the Leafs went into float mode, perhaps confusing today's Santa Claus Parade with the Hall induction ceremony.

Once again, the Leafs inexplicably stopped skating and were outshot 27-14 in the second and third periods. If not for a bad Rangers change of defencemen at 1:16 of overtime, Igor Korolev wouldn't have been wide open to bury a Sergei Berezin rebound.

Last year's highest-scoring team in the NHL has been outshot in eight consecutive games and recorded 20 or less shots on five occasions, compared to three all of last year.

"It is a combination of changing momentum and us not kicking (foes) when they're down," Joseph said. "These are areas we've got to work at."

Toronto now hits the road this week for games against last year's playoff victims, Pittsburgh (Tuesday) and Philadelphia (Friday afternoon).

For Muckler, nothing short of reviving Gretzky and the 1980s Oilers will save his skin if the Rangers keep losing. The speculation is that Muckler was given two games to turn around the Rangers -- who have a $55-million US payroll -- after a dinner meeting with club CEO Dave Checketts and general manager Neil Smith earlier this week.

Coupled with a 5-3 loss in Boston on Thursday, last night puts New York at 2-9-2-0 since mid-October. Farm team coach John Tortorella is said to be the favourite to succeed Muckler.

"I am sick and tired of the (dismissal) talk," Muckler said. "But I can't stop it. I like the way we are coming together. I like our hockey club."

The efforts of Adam Graves, Mathieu Schneider, John MacLean, Tim Taylor and emergency fill-in Alexandre Daigle certainly warmed his heart in the second half of last night's game. Graves and Taylor scored in a two-minute span late in the second period, with MacLean ending the Rangers' 0-for-40 road power play slide at 10:58 of the third. Daigle had two assists.

After a bold burst to the top of the NHL standings in October, the Leafs came into the game 1-4-2-1. Only the struggles of the injury plagued Ottawa Senators have kept them in contention for first place.

"I wish I could put my finger on it," Quinn said of the November doldrums. "We are still not good on defensive-zone coverage."

Encouraging signs included a third consecutive game with a power-play goal. Yanic Perreault tipped in a Tomas Kaberle wrist shot from the point, precisely the kind of high percentage chance Quinn has ordered the unit to execute.

Perreault also buried a Sylvain Lefebvre giveaway, while Dmitri Khristich beat Rangers goalie Kirk McLean, the third goal surrendered by McLean on four shots, prompting Muckler to go to Mike Richter in relief.

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