Leafs are winning in the faceoff circle

By LANCE HORNBY -- Toronto Sun Yanic (Quick Draw) Perreault should start wearing a white cowboy hat and a six-shooter holster around town.
The Maple Leafs centre is getting even better in the faceoff circle than he was in last season's playoffs, leading the club to a staggering 75% success rate against the Boston Bruins last night. Perreault was 11-for-12 through 40 minutes, and 14-for-18 overall, while Mats Sundin won six of seven faceoffs in the first period and 17 of 24 overall.
The only thing Perreault was at a loss for last night was a definitive explanation of his prowess in the red circle.
"The past two or three years, I've gotten to know the other centres in the league a lot better," he said. "A few years ago I tried using some video but stopped. I don't really practice, because in a game you take about 20 faceoffs anyway."
Both coaches, Boston's Pat Burns and Toronto's Pat Quinn, were quick to point out that the Bruins' top centre, Jason Allison, was bothered by tendinitis in his wrist last night and another specialist, Tim Taylor, is now a New York Ranger. But Burns said the Toronto centres foiled his Plan B as well.
"They were all over us," Burns said. "At one time they were 82%. We were trying to lock up their centremen and get the puck (from the ensuing scrum), but even that didn't work."
In two games so far this season, the Leafs have won 77 of 120 faceoffs, with Igor Korolev also doing well despite off-season wrist surgery. Steve Sullivan and Todd Warriner are chipping in, too.
Of course Perreault just draws more attention to himself with games such as last night, because the Leafs still are looking for the right trade to free a roster spot for defenceman Dimitri Yushkevich. Perreault's salary of $1.05 million US, awarded in summer arbitration, still rubs the Leafs the wrong way because of his third-line status.
But Quinn might learn to embrace Perreault if he keeps gift-wrapping the puck to his wingers and defencemen.
"That makes so much of a difference when we start the play with possession," winger Mike Johnson said. "Whatever he's doing in there, it's working."
Perreault, who also set up a goal by Johnson last night which put the Leafs ahead 3-0, is growing immune to the trade talk. He already has been let go by the Leafs once in his career before being reclaimed last season in a trade for Jason Podollan.
"Playing in Toronto and Montreal, you're going to hear rumours all the time," Perreault said of the possibility of moving again.
Perreault, 28, the first Leaf chosen in the 1991 draft, 47th overall, holds the distinction of being Toronto's only top pick in the 1980s or '90s to be with the team.

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