Top guns misfire

By MIKE ZEISBERGER -- Toronto Sun
PITTSBURGH -- Break up the Maple Leafs.

At least their No. 1 line, anyway.

That prospect certainly seems to be swirling through Pat Quinn's mind following a 3-1 loss last night to the Pittsburgh Penguins in front of 13,126 fans at the Civic Arena. Listening to the Leafs general manager/coach after the game, it is obvious that he is losing patience with Toronto's top unit of Mats Sundin, Steve Thomas and Jonas Hoglund.

When it was suggested that the line has not been producing, Quinn made sure to repeat himself in order to underscore his point.

"No they're not," he said. "No they're not.

"When we start to not win hockey games, that's a concern."

The Leafs have won just two of their past nine games.

Any juggling likely would involve Thomas, who has just one goal in 23 games this season. In fact, Quinn said seven days ago after a 3-2 loss to St. Louis that he had pondered dropping Thomas from the line.

"Each player individually wants to produce," Thomas said. "You almost think that the things that were working last year aren't working now."

Sundin did score Toronto's goal last night, but it came while he was playing between Mike Johnson and Dmitri Khristich late in the third period with Pittsburgh ahead 2-0.

"It seemed like they wanted it more than us," Sundin said of the Penguins. "I thought we played well but we didn't get any really good chances."

The Leafs' best line arguably was the unlikely trio of Tie Domi, Alyn McCauley and Nik Antropov. However, Antropov was lost for the game late in the second period. He suffered an arm injury as he slammed into Penguins goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin after being tripped by Matthew Barnaby.

While the Leafs have been secretive about disclosing injuries, Domi said, "I think (Antropov) is fine."

Showing that maybe this shots-on-goal stuff is overrated after all, the Leafs outshot an opponent for the first time in nine games. The shot clock may have favoured the Leafs 30-18, but it did nothing to help them on the scoreboard.

The Leafs did carry the play for much of the evening, sporting a 17-3 margin in shots early in the second period. But those numbers quickly became moot courtesy of Pittsburgh captain Jaromir Jagr.

With Sundin in the penalty box, Jagr blasted a one-timer past Curtis Joseph to put the Penguins up 1-0.

"He put some mustard on it," Joseph said.

Jagr, despite undergoing three acupuncture treatments in the past few days, clearly is bothered by a pulled right thigh muscle. He laboured almost every time he skated down the ice.

"Even when he's half there, he's one of the best," Quinn said.

Said Jagr: "It hurts, but I'm still going to play."

Andrew Ference and German Titov, with an empty-netter, scored the other Pittsburgh goals.

The Leafs were making their first visit to the Civic Arena since eliminating the Penguins from the playoffs last May. Garry Valk's Game 6 overtime winner sent the Leafs to the Eastern Conference final against Buffalo.

There was no such blue-and-white magic last night.

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