A scorer's slump

By DAVE FULLER -- Toronto Sun CHICAGO -- Sergei Berezin and the Blackhawks will face imposing and somewhat similar tasks tonight: Each desperately needs to feel like a winner again.
The Hawks are a gut-wrenching 0-2-2 in their first four NHL starts while Maple Leafs winger Berezin admits to feeling queasy about his recent lack of production.
Berezin has two goals in his first six games, but none in his past two. That may not seem like much of a slump to, say, teammate Kris King, but is a painfully long wait for the NHL's leading shot-taker with 33.
"Every goal you score makes you so happy, and all of a sudden makes you wonder if it's your last one," said Berezin whose shooting accuracy has dropped to 6.1%. "I'm doing something wrong, that's for sure. I'm trying not to get frustrated."
While Berezin and the Leafs could catch a break tonight as they meet one of the league's most inept defences, the 5-foot-10 left winger from Voskresensk, Russia, is dealing with several handicaps.
His usual centre, Igor Korolev, will miss the next two games with a sinus injury, while Mats Sundin's four- to six-week absence will allow rival checkers to pay closer attention to Berezin. But the 37-goal scorer of last season seems less concerned by the events around him than with his periodic battles with self-doubt.
For the moment, he's reluctant to tinker with his game -- which means his linemates shouldn't expect more passes from him while he struggles.
"If you don't shoot, how are you going to score?" Berezin said. "I'm not trying to change anything now. I've had so many scoring chances. I could have 10 goals by now, but I just didn't do my job."
As a result, Berezin's prospects of becoming the fourth Leaf to reach 50 goals in a single season (behind Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman and Dave Andreychuk), may not look as promising as they did two weeks ago when he scored in Toronto's season opener in Montreal.
"I'm not going for 50, 30, or 20. I'm going for the next game," he said, meaning tonight.
Though this is only Berezin's fourth season in the league, he considers a game against the Blackhawks almost as meaningful as facing the Montreal Canadiens.
"(Chicago's) always a tough team," he said. "They have about four or five players who are just looking for hits. But they also have some good players who can score -- like (Tony) Amonte and (Alexei) Zhamnov.
"Even the game we won (in Chicago) last year (10-3, Nov. 12) wasn't easy at all. It's like the Toronto-Montreal game. If Toronto plays Chicago it's emotional and there's a lot of stuff going on."
This is the Leafs' first visit to the United Center since their chaotic pre-season opener Sept. 12, during which 10 fighting majors were assessed.
General manager/coach Pat Quinn was sufficiently upset by Chicago's goon tactics to complain to the league, though yesterday he tried to play down the friction between the clubs.
"Whatever happens, happens," Quinn said. "We're there to play and try to win.
"We know some teams have different assets. Chicago has been a physical, rough team for many years -- they like that kind of team -- and quite frankly I don't mind them, either. (But) there is a set of rules. Go beyond the rules and you need to be penalized, just the same as a team that hooks and holds all the time. You can't let it go. You have to call it or else it screws the game up."

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