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Leafs 5, Coyotes 3
Tucker pots two goals
TORONTO (CP) -- Darcy Tucker didn't think it would take so long for him to experience a victory with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tucker scored a pair of goals as Toronto stopped a season-high six-game winless streak with a 5-3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night.
Tucker's goals were his first for the Maple Leafs since being traded from Tampa Bay on Feb. 9.
"When I came in the room after the game, the guys were cheering for me, and that gives me a great sense of pride, not only about myself but about this hockey club," Tucker said. "It just shows how close we are as a team. Hopefully tonight I've solidified any doubts about what I bring to a hockey team. I'm just a hard-working guy."
Alyn McCauley, Jonas Hoglund and Yanic Perreault, with an empty-netter, also scored for Toronto, which had been 0-5-1 in its past six. The winless skid was the longest for the Maple Leafs since Pat Quinn took over as head coach before the start of last season.
Shane Doan, Jeremy Roenick, and Teppo Numminen replied for the Coyotes, who lost for the second time in two nights.
Tucker played on a line with McCauley and Igor Korolev. Quinn put the new line together in practice earlier in the week.
McCauley, who has been a healthy scratch more often than not recently, scored his first goal in a month.
On Tucker's first goal, he dove head-first into the crease to poke the puck past Phoenix goalie Bob Essensa. Essensa was handcuffed on a Mats Sundin slapshot and had trouble controlling the rebound.
Tucker's second of the night came on a deflection of a Brian Berard point shot into the top corner.
"Darcy scored from where he's going to score," Quinn said. "Any points he's going to get, he'll get them from there."
Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph stopped 22 shots for his 26th win.
"We put out some good pressure," Roenick said. "Cujo made some big, big saves. ... They got some timely goals -- we didn't."
Toronto outshot Phoenix 14-4 in the first period and built a 2-1 lead.
Numminen scored with less than four minutes remaining in the third to bring Phoenix within 4-3, but Perreault's empty-netter clinched the win for Toronto.
Coming off a 1-0 loss to Montreal on Tuesday night, the Coyotes once again felt they deserved a better fate.
"We think that we played two very solid games," Doan said. "We didn't make too many mistakes, but when we did they capitalized."
Notes: The Leafs swapped minor-league forwards with the Los Angeles Kings, acquiring centre Don MacLean for winger Craig Charron. MacLean, 23, had 11 goals and 28 points with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American League. Charron, 32, had 11 goals and 29 points for St. John's of the AHL. ... Roenick's goal was his 38th against Toronto in his career. He is the only player leading his team in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes. ... Leafs defenceman Danny Markov left the game after blocking a shot in the third period and didn't return.
Summary
NHL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHOENIX 1 1 1 3
TORONTO 2 1 2 5 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: PHO - SHANE DOAN 20 (MIKA ALATALO, JUHA YLONEN) 6:08
TOR - JONAS HOGLUND 24 (MATS SUNDIN) 10:32
TOR - (PP) ALYN MCCAULEY 4 (STEVE THOMAS, BRYAN BERARD)
11:41
2ND PRD: PHO - JEREMY ROENICK 28 (BENOIT HOGUE, DALLAS DRAKE) 0:51
TOR - DARCY TUCKER 15 (MATS SUNDIN, DIMITRI YUSHKEVICH)
16:08
3RD PRD: TOR - DARCY TUCKER 16 (BRYAN BERARD) 11:35
PHO - TEPPO NUMMINEN 7 (SHANE DOAN, J.J. DAIGNEAULT) 16:46
TOR - (EN) YANIC PERREAULT 10 (UNASSISTED) 19:07
POWER-PLAY CONVERSIONS: PHO - 0 OF 1, TOR - 1 OF 3.
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PHO 4 8 14 26
TOR 14 6 9 29
GOALIES: PHO - BOB ESSENSA
TOR - CURTIS JOSEPH
OFFICIALS: REF - S WALKOM
LIN - RACICOT, SHARRERS
ATT: 19,309
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