Tue Jan 15 22:57:19 2008

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Leafs edge Hurricanes, end slide

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Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Alexei Ponikarovsky and Ian White scored third- period goals and Vesa Toskala survived a late onslaught to finish with 21 saves, as Toronto put the brakes on a five-game skid with a 5-4 win over Carolina at Air Canada Centre.

Matt Stajan, Tomas Kaberle and Chad Kilger also scored for the Maple Leafs, who won for the first time since a 4-3 shootout victory over Tampa Bay on New Year's Day. Jason Blake notched two assists in the win.

"It's a win," said frustrated Toronto head coach Paul Maurice. "We're taking it and we're not giving it back."

Rod Brind'Amour, Sergei Samsonov, Erik Cole and Andrew Ladd scored for the Hurricanes, who have dropped three straight and four of their last five overall. Michael Leighton started in goal for Carolina and stopped all 11 shots he faced in the first period, but was pulled after 40 minutes of action and finished with 20 saves against 23 shots. Cam Ward surrendered two goals on 13 shots in relief.

With the score tied 3-3, Toronto moved ahead on Ponikarovsky's goal -- a tally that was first credited to Blake but later changed -- at the 5:06 mark after he redirected Blake's shot from the right side at the top of the crease and it bounced under the pads of Ward.

White's third goal with 11:40 to play in regulation pushed the Toronto lead to two goals when his shot from along the right half-wall somehow made its way through heavy traffic.

The Leafs played strong defensively the rest of the way and maintained their two-goal edge until Brind'Amour's tip-in goal, with Ward on the bench for the extra attacker, made it interesting with nine seconds remaining. The visitors had one final chance to find the equalizer with a faceoff in their offensive zone with 3.3 seconds on the clock, but Mats Sundin beat Brind'Amour clean on the draw and the Leafs skated off with the win.

"With the rumors and everything, it gets to a point where you just go out and play hockey," Maurice said in response to swirling rumors in Toronto about his possible dismissal. "You have to give credit to Sundin -- he keeps (the team) together."

Kaberle opened the scoring with a power-play goal 3:51 into the second period when he cradled the puck across the high slot toward the right side and beat Leighton with a wrister.

Crisp passing by Carolina tied it up less than two minutes later. While on the power play, Brind'Amour held control atop the left circle and faked a shot before he passed down low to Cole along the goal line to the left of the net. Cole quickly fed the disc across the crease and the tic-tac-toe play was completed by Samsonov at the right post with 12:23 remaining in the second.

Soon after, Kilger's eighth goal at the 9:16 mark put Toronto back on top. A turnover by Carolina forward Chad LaRose allowed the Leafs to gain control and Boyd Devereaux worked a give-and-go with Kilger, who corralled the puck along the left-wing side and lit the lamp with a high wrister from near the left post.

At the 13-minute mark, Cole's 11th goal made it 2-2 but the Leafs regained their lead with a power-play goal by Stajan with 1:05 to go before the second intermission. Anton Stralman ripped a slap shot from the left side above the circle and it caromed off the rear boards. Leighton tried to swipe it away, but the butt of his stick pushed the puck to the brink of the goal line and Stajan was there to officially pushed it into the back of the cage.

Ladd's goal at the 1:54 mark of the final stanza made it a 3-3 contest.

Game Notes

The Leafs improved to 9-8-5 on home ice this season...This marked just Toronto's third win in its last 12 games overall (3-9-2)...White scored his first goal in 41 games...Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley returned to the ice after he had missed three games due to illness...Carolina fell to 12-12-2 on the road this season...The Leafs were 2-for-5 on the power play while the Canes were 1-for-3 with the extra skater...Attendance was 19,444.