Perry, Selanne score in shootout to lift Ducks past Maple Leafs
TORONTO -- Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson played the percentages and still couldn't get Toronto a shootout win.
When Toronto and Anaheim were tied after overtime, Wilson pulled starting goalie Vesa Toskala for backup Curtis Joseph. But despite Joseph's lower scoring percentage -- 28-54 -- in shootouts, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne beat Joseph to give the Ducks a 3-2 win Tuesday night.
"I was playing the percentages," Wilson said. "I'm not going to hesitate to do that until we get Tosk a little more practice -- a different way of thinking on stopping the other team in shootouts. I had nothing to lose."
Just another shootout, is all -- it was the third shootout loss in four games for Toronto. Wilson has devoted plenty of practice time to improving his team's performance in shootouts and told both Joseph and Toskala that he would switch them if another game reached that point.
"I don't have any problem at all," Toskala said. "As a team we just have to find a way to get those points because they're going to be huge [at the] end of the season. Today we were trying this -- it didn't work."
They might have been the only ones not surprised by the move.
"I've never seen it happen before," Perry said. "I saw [Joseph] warming up and I turned to the bench and said, 'They're putting him in?'"
He and Selanne each beat Joseph with quick shots while Toronto's Nikolai Kulemin and Tomas Kaberle both missed the net with their shootout opportunities.
Even after watching the first 65 minutes from the bench, Joseph didn't mind being called on.
"It's entertainment, right?" he said. "I have had some success at shootouts but those were two good shots. I've got to like being in that position, at least you can come in and you've got a chance.
"Unfortunately, the quick releases look a little quicker when you've been sitting."
Francois Beauchemin and George Parros scored in regulation for Anaheim and Nik Antropov scored both goals for the Maple Leafs.
With the Leafs down 2-1, Antropov scored with 52.8 seconds left in the third period to force overtime.
The Ducks failed to register a shot in the third period and had seven shots after the first period.
Beauchemin opened the scoring at 4:36 of the first period by sending a slap shot past a screened Toskala. It was his third goal of the season -- eclipsing the two he scored in 82 games last season.
Parros made it 2-0. He got behind Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn and took a breakaway pass before beating Toskala glove-side at 9:50 of the first period.
Antropov cut it to 2-1 at 8:15 of the second period with a backhand past goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere
Toronto couldn't capitalize on two third-period power plays, including a 32-second 5-on-3 advantage. Antropov had the best chance but Giguere came across his goal to make a toe save.
Leafs defenseman Mike Van Ryn also rang a shot off the crossbar as the second penalty expired.
Wilson pulled Toskala for an extra attacker with more than a minute to play and his team finally broke through. Antropov got a rebound at the side of the goal and tied the game 2-2 with 52.8 seconds left, setting up overtime.
Toronto kept the Ducks from registering a shot in the third period -- the first time in franchise history that's happened -- and outshot them 28-7 over the final two regulation periods and overtime.
"We have to start somewhere," Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "We'll take any two points we can get but we need a better 60-minute effort."
Added coach Randy Carlyle: "The way we've been going, we'll take everything we possibly can."
Game notes
It was only the third meeting between the teams since the lockout ... Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo was a healthy scratch for the second time this season. ... Teemu Selanne has just one goal in seven games for Anaheim. ... Toskala remains stuck on 99 wins.
Regular Season Series
Game Information
- Referees:
- Brad Meier
- Dan Marouelli
- Linesmen:
- Pierre Champoux
- Scott Driscoll