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MAPLE LEAFS 4, Tampa Bay 2
Leafs strike Lightning
TORONTO (CP) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs earned their first 100-point season in franchise history. They're hoping it's a sign of what's to come.
Mats Sundin had a goal and an assist as the Leafs beat the the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 Saturday night in Toronto's final game of the regular season.
"Most of the teams that have won the Stanley Cup in the last 10 years have had 100 points," Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph said. "So the percentages show that you need at least 100 points to do something in the playoffs."
The Leafs' previous high for points was 99 set in 1992-93 with a 44-29-11 record. They reached the conference final that year.
Nik Antropov, Darcy Tucker and Steve Thomas also scored for Toronto.
"This is pretty important for the franchise. It's never been done. It's nice to know I'll be one of those players to get to that 100-point mark," Thomas said. "The last couple games we've been working on our confidence level and build it for the first game of the playoffs."
Joseph was outstanding against Tampa Bay, making 33 saves for his club-record 36th win of the season.
Joseph broke his own mark that he set last year in his first season as a Leaf. The previous Leaf high was 34 wins set by Johnny Bower (1959-60), Mike Palmateer (1977-78) and Felix Potvin (1993-94).
"That's kind of nice. You just try to get as many and the win column piles up and the loss column doesn't," said Joseph, who finished with a 36-20-7 record.
Former Leaf Mike Johnson had a goal and an assist and Brian Holzinger had the other goal for Tampa Bay, which lost for the eighth straight time to Toronto for a 6-19 lifetime record.
The game was meaningless for both teams in the standings. The Leafs had already wrapped up the Northeast Division title and will face Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs. The Lightning will finish with the second-worst record in the NHL ahead of the expansion Atlanta Thrashers.
"We'll be ready to go (against Ottawa)," Leafs coach-GM Pat Quinn said. "(The 100 points) doesn't do anything except give you a sense of accomplishment. We had a chance at first overall and we let it slip away."
Antropov opened the scoring midway through the first period on an off-wing cut to the net from a bad angle. Tampa Bay tied it with 30 seconds to go in the period when Holzinger scored a power-play marker, but then it was all Toronto.
Sundin gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead 5:04 into the second on a shorthanded breakaway while holding off two Lightning players. The Leafs captain, with 5:25 left in the period, set up Thomas who put a nice move on Lightning goalie Dieter Kochan for his 26th of the year.
Tucker scored the Leafs' third goal of the period to put the game out of reach.
Toronto (45-30-7-3) also tied the franchise record for most wins (45) set last year.
NOTES: The Lightning finishes its season on Sunday in Ottawa...Tucker faced Tampa Bay for the first time since being traded for Johnson on Feb. 9. ... Former Leaf Todd Warriner was wearing the C in the absence of captain Vincent Lecavalier (bruised ankle). ... Dmitry Yushkevich (wrist) did not dress while Sergei Berezin (shoulder) suited up after missing Friday's game in New York. ... Lightning goalie Zac Bierk, who was supposed to start, did not dress and was taken to hospital after taking a shot in the neck during the pre-game skate. ... Joseph also had 36 wins with St. Louis in 1993-94. ... The Lightning pulled its goalie with 2:33 left for a 6-on-4 man advantage.
Summary
-----------------------------
Tampa Bay 1 0 1--2
Toronto 1 3 0--4
-----------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Toronto, Antropov 12 (Korolev, Diduck),
11:28. 2, Tampa Bay, Holzinger 10 (power play) (M Johnson, Warriner),
19:30. Penalties: Muir, T.B. (interference), 1:11; Muir, T.B. (tripping),
5:46; Dwyer, T.B. (fighting major), 15:18; Smith, Tor (fighting major),
15:18; A Skopintsev, T.B. (Obstr tripping), 16:51; Diduck, Tor (high
sticking), 19:20.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Toronto, Sundin 32 (shorthanded) (Cross),
5:04. 4, Toronto, Thomas 26 (Sundin, Kaberle), 14:35. 5, Toronto, Tucker
21 (Korolev), 18:59. Penalties: Antropov, Tor (hooking), 3:07; P Mara,
T.B. (roughing), 13:55; Karpovtsev, Tor (slashing), 13:55; Dwyer, T.B.
(fighting major), 18:59; Diduck, Tor (fighting major), 18:59.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 6, Tampa Bay, M Johnson 21 (power play)
(Drulia, P Mara), 12:24. Penalties: Kaberle, Tor (holding stick), 5:29;
Sarich, T.B. (fighting major), 6:48; Adams, Tor (fighting major), 6:48;
Antropov, Tor (roughing), 11:53; Karpovtsev, Tor served by Domi (hooking,
unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct), 14:06; M Johnson, T.B. (holding
stick), 17:40.
Shots on goal:
---------------------------------
Tampa Bay 9 11 15--35
Toronto 11 11 6--28
---------------------------------
Power-play Conversions: Tam - 2 of 6, Tor - 0 of 4. Goalies: Tampa Bay,
Kochan (28 shots, 24 saves; record: 1-3-0), D Cloutier (15:42 of 3rd
period, 0, 0), Kochan (16:09 of 3rd period). Toronto, Joseph (35, 33;
record: 36-20-7). A:19,303. Referees: Degrace, Murphy. Linesmen: Amell,
Kovachik.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS
Tampa Bay Toronto
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
A Skopintsev 0 0 -3 0 Adams 0 0 even 0
Astashenko 0 0 even 0 Antropov 1 0 +2 1
Clymer 0 0 -2 3 Cross 0 1 +1 0
Drulia 0 1 even 1 Diduck 0 1 +3 1
Dwyer 0 0 -1 0 Domi 0 0 even 0
Gardiner 0 0 -1 0 G Andrusak 0 0 even 2
Hay 0 0 even 1 Hoglund 0 0 even 4
Holzinger 1 0 even 4 Kaberle 0 1 +3 0
M Johnson 1 1 even 2 Karpovtsev 0 0 +1 1
Modin 0 0 -3 8 Khristich 0 0 even 2
Muir 0 0 -1 2 Korolev 0 2 +2 2
P Mara 0 1 -1 2 Mccauley 0 0 even 0
Primeau 0 0 -3 2 Perreault 0 0 even 4
R Johnson 0 0 even 0 S Berezin 0 0 even 4
S Martins 0 0 -1 0 Smith 0 0 even 1
Sarich 0 0 -1 5 Sundin 1 1 +2 2
Svejkovsky 0 0 -2 2 Thomas 1 0 +1 3
Warriner 0 1 even 3 Tucker 1 0 +3 1
Bierk Unknown Valk Rib Injury
Lecavalier Ankle Injury K King Healthy
Kubina Heel Injury Clark Healthy
R Petrovicky Healthy Di Yushkevich Wrist Injury
Posmyk Neck Injury
Ekman Healthy
Freadrich Healthy
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