NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Wednesday, May 9 Toronto again collapses in the second period Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Toronto Maple Leafs will spend their summer thinking about missed chances, terrible second periods and what it takes to beat the New Jersey Devils. The seventh-seeded Maple Leafs had a chance – two chances – to erase the bitter memory of last year's second-round loss to the Devils by beating the defending Stanley Cup champions in the rematch. Goalie Curtis Joseph and captain Mats Sundin fall short for the Maple Leafs in Game 7 on Wednesday. A 3-2 series advantage became an all-or-nothing Game 7 after a home loss. An early lead Wednesday night didn't last much past the first period as the Devils stormed back with four second-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory. "I don't think we played a very good hockey game," captain Mats Sundin said. "We had a good first period, and again they killed us in the second like they did in the second game in here." After grabbing the home-ice advantage from the Devils with a 2-0 road victory in Game 1, Toronto took a 1-0 lead into the second period of the second game. The Devils scored four goals in the second to seemingly take control. The Maple Leafs managed to get that game into overtime, where they eventually lost. History repeated itself Wednesday on the bad side for Toronto. There would be no miracle comeback in Game 7. Steve Thomas scored a power-play goal at 9:06 in the first period, and the Maple Leafs looked like they might be able to stun the top-seeded Devils. It all unraveled again as New Jersey scored four times in a 7:40 span of the second. The sellout crowd was into it, and the stunned Maple Leafs were out of it. "I thought we played a great first period," Thomas said. "I don't think we even gave them a good scoring chance on Cujo (goalie Curtis Joseph). The second period, for whatever reason, we just went flat. That was the game right there." In Toronto's four losses in this series it was outscored 10-2. "After the first period, I thought we had a great chance," Joseph said. "We played a great first period and I really thought we were going to do it. Unfortunately in the second, they snatched it away from us." The Maple Leafs know the Devils were on the ropes on enemy ice in Game 6. But a 1-1 game after the first period became a 3-1 deficit heading into the third. "That was a tough one to take," Thomas said of the 4-2 loss. "We could have finished them off in our own building. I don't think we played that well that night." Last year it took six games for the Devils to eliminate the Maple Leafs en route to the Stanley Cup. Toronto was physically manhandled in that series and managed only six shots in the final game in New Jersey. Sundin only had one assist last year, but he was protected this time around by linemate Gary Roberts, signed as a free agent in the offseason. Other additions such as Shayne Corson and Bryan McCabe gave the Leafs hope that this year they could pull off the upset. Sundin atoned for himself with four goals and five assists this year. "You lose in the second round, I don't think there's anything to be proud of," he said. "No one remembers the losing teams." Toronto surprised everyone with a first-round sweep of No. 2 Ottawa. The Maple Leafs weren't expected to beat New Jersey, and pushing the Devils to seven games was no consolation. "You can never be satisfied with losing a series, especially a series that we truly thought we could've won," Thomas said. "Two overtime losses that could have gone either way. We could have won this series in five or four, but it went seven and we lost a big one at the end." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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