US Hockey beats Latvia

Recap of last night's action, followed by the Top 5 plays.

This was the final game of this CRAZY season. It all came to this. 2 fights, 4 goals and a bunch of penaltys. This was the bomb. Andrew Raycroft got the nod in this one and Mark Bell scored the last Maple Leafs' goal this season. Now, were all going to cheer, GO LEAFS GO for next season. ENJOY! GAME RE-CAP(NHL.COM): MONTREAL (AP) -While the Montreal Canadiens would be happy to celebrate their first conference title in ages, they finished the regular season with their eyes turned toward a making an unexpected run at a record 25th Stanley Cup. Chris Higgins scored twice and Mark Streit had a goal and an assist as Montreal beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 Saturday night to finish their schedule atop the Eastern Conference. "I think it's been a dream year," said coach Guy Carbonneau, whose team completed the regular season with a 47-25-10 record for 104 points. The Canadiens have a two-point lead on second-place Pittsburgh, which plays its final game Sunday in Philadelphia. Montreal will claim its first conference title in 19 years if the Penguins, who also have 47 wins, lose to the Flyers. "Obviously it would be great, but they don't really hang conference titles in this rink, they raise Stanley Cup banners," Canadiens goalie Carey Price said. "It would be kind of nice to get it but everybody knows what the ultimate prize is." Price stopped 26 shots, finishing his rookie season with a 24-12-3 record and three shutouts in 41 games. "It seems like I'm climbing the hill pretty fast, so hopefully I can keep climbing," said the 20-year-old goalie, who was chosen fifth overall by Montreal in the 2005 draft. Regardless of whether they finish first or second overall in the East, Montreal will face Boston in the opening round of the playoffs as a result of the Bruins' 3-0 loss to Buffalo. The Canadiens will host the series opener Thursday at the Bell Centre. Mark Bell scored late in the second for Toronto, which missed the playoffs for a third straight season. The Maple Leafs finished last in the Northeast Division and 12th overall in the East with a 36-35-11 mark and 83 points. Rarely-used backup Andrew Raycroft made 33 saves for Toronto, though it was the three shots that he didn't stop that pretty much summed up his dismal season. "I'm not going to think about hockey for a while," Raycroft said. "I won't be watching playoff games, I won't be watching highlights, I won't be watching talk shows, I won't be listening to the radio. I'll be as far away as I can get." Streit opened the scoring 9 minutes into the second when his soft wrist shot from the blue line somehow got between Raycroft's blocker and his right pad. "The first goal was just a matter of him not being in the net," Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. Higgins made it a 2-0 lead to the delight of the crowd of 21,273 - Montreal's 141st consecutive sellout - when his shot from the right side went in off the tip of Raycroft's glove for his 26th goal at 14:03. Bell drew the Maple Leafs within 2-1 when he was left alone in the slot to beat Price with a quick shot for his fourth goal at 18:02. Higgins got his second of the game - extending his career high to 27 goals - when he beat Raycroft with a quick shot during a power play 7:28 into the third on a fine setup by Bryan Smolinski. The goal gave the Canadiens a league-high total of 262 this season, one more than Ottawa. Detroit, which hosts Chicago on Sunday to complete its schedule, is third with 253 goals. Montreal has not led the NHL in goals since 1979-80. The Canadiens scored 328 goals that season, one more than Philadelphia.

New Faces in new places. Former Leafs player Wade Belak Made his Panthers debut. Leafs win this one from behind because Mats Sundin Played great recording 3 points. Williams got called up from the Marlies scoring another goal to set a record 3 goals in 3 career games. Next game for your leafs, Friday Feb 29 VS Tampa Bay.Game Re-Cap(NHL.COM):SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -Mats Sundin gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a reason to be glad he refused to be traded away. + Click for larger photo Photo Gallery Game HighlightsSundin's second goal with 1:08 left in regulation forced overtime, and the Leafs went on to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers."He's the man here, and he's always been," said defenseman Tomas Kaberle, who scored the only goal of the shootout. "Everybody follows him and tries to play like him."The rebuilding Maple Leafs hoped to convince Sundin, the longtime captain, to waive his no-trade clause before the NHL's dealing deadline on Tuesday. Sundin decided he'd rather stick around Toronto instead of being a hired gun.For at least one night, it paid off for the Leafs.Kaberle scored on Toronto's first attempt of the shootout when he slid the puck between Tomas Vokoun's legs on a deke.Vesa Toskala sealed the victory when he blocked Olli Jokinen's wrist shot on the final attempt of the shootout. Toskala also stopped Rostislav Olesz, who hit the post on a deke attempt, and Ville Peltonen.Toronto is six points below the postseason cutoff in the Eastern Conference."Six points is not much," Kaberle said. "We need to get on a roll. It's wide open if we keep winning."Sundin, among five Toronto players who declined to waive no-trade clauses before Tuesday's deadline, had two goals and an assist.Jeremy Williams had the other goal for the Leafs, who have won five of six.Jassen Cullimore, Brett McLean and Olesz scored for Florida, which has lost five of six.Toskala made 37 saves in regulation and overtime. Vokoun stopped 34 shots.Florida beat the Leafs 8-0 in the last meeting between the teams Feb. 5, the most lopsided victory in Panthers history.Sundin tied the game after Toronto pulled Toskala, sending a wrist shot from the high slot between Florida forward David Booth's legs and past Vokoun to the glove side."He probably saw that hole and put it through there. That's how good he is," Booth said. "I can't believe he put it through there."Giving up a late lead was nothing new for the Panthers, who have allowed six tying or winning goals in the final minute this season.Florida squandered two-goal, third-period goals in three consecutive games earlier this month."We've just got to be better and win some games," Jokinen said. "This is not fun."The Panthers took a 3-2 lead at 11:45 of the third when Olesz scored 5 seconds into a power play. Toronto Maple Leafs center Mats Sundin had two goals and one assist against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008, in Sunrise, FL. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) Jay Bouwmeester's wrist shot from the point was blocked in front, and Olesz then beat Toskala with a backhand.Toronto trailed 2-0 in the second period before Williams, recalled on Tuesday after the Leafs traded three players for draft picks, scored his third goal in three NHL games.Williams took a pass from Sundin to the side of the net and beat Vokoun."He made a great goal," Sundin said. "He would have 100 goals if he played 100 games, it seems like. He's really smart finding the spot where the goalie has the holes."Sundin tied it with a power-play goal at 2:49 of the third period. He took the puck along the boards and outmuscled defenseman Steve Montador to the front of the net before flipping the puck over Vokoun's right shoulder.Cullimore opened the scoring at 9:27 of the first period when his wrist shot deflected off Williams. McLean made it 2-0 at 17:13 when he skated through three Toronto players and put the puck past a sprawling Toskala."We lost some momentum," McLean said. "Their top players really stepped up and made some plays for them. You have to give them credit, they continued to battle."Notes: Florida's Wade Belak played against his former team after being acquired in a trade Tuesday. ... Florida D Bryan Allen missed the game because of a leg injury sustained in Sunday's loss to the Rangers. ... Toronto D Bryan McCabe played in his 900th NHL game. ... C Kris Newbury also was recalled by the Leafs. ... Toronto won the season series 3-1.3 STARS OF THE GAME:1st: TOMAS KABERLE 2nd: BRETT MCLEAN 3rd: MATS SUNDIN

Dustin Brown scored what turned out to be the GW goal vs. Latvia at WC play.

McAmmond, Chicago's first-round pick (22nd overall) in 1991, talks about the day he was drafted.

Hosted by Steven Lee.

Even though Toskala let in a bouncing 198 Feet goal, the leafs managed to come back and win this game 3-1.Welwood, Kubina and Ponikarovsky Scored the 3 goals to push them closer to the playoffs. The Leafs have to win all their games to make the playoffs.To See more about the bouncing puck watch this video;http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=GDt0Lsc...GAME RE-CAP(NHL.COM):UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -The Toronto Maple Leafs brushed off the shock of allowing a 178-foot goal and gave their dimming playoff hopes a boost.Pavel Kubina's third-period, power-play goal broke a tie and helped the Maple Leafs to a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night."I'm getting a little more time on the power play," Kubina said. "Kabby (Tomas Kaberle) found me, and I just shot it."Kubina's screened slap shot from the right point got through cleanly and beat Islanders goalie Wade Dubielewicz for the Maple Leafs' third win in their past four games.The goal was on Toronto's fifth and final power play. Islander captain Bill Guerin said penalties hurt the Islanders."We took some bad penalties again, and we're right back to where we were," Guerin said. "We have to keep looking forward."Kyle Wellwood tied the game earlier in the period, and Vesa Toskala got the win by stopping 27 shots.With a chance to clinch the game, Darcy Tucker's goal was disallowed with 4:04 left as linemate and former Islanders forward Jason Blake was called for goaltender interference."I don't understand that call," Toronto coach Paul Maurice said. "That could have been trouble if they tied it up."Alexei Ponikarovsky scored an empty-netter with 27.7 seconds left.Rob Davison scored the only goal for the Islanders over their past two games on a bouncing shot from his own blue line that fooled Toskala.New York has lost six in a row overall, and five straight at home. Dubielewicz stopped 23 shots. The Islanders, with 177, have the fewest goals in the NHL. Only Guerin and Mike Comrie have surpassed the 20-goal mark for the team.Islanders coach Ted Nolan was fuming about his team's lack of intensity."I don't care who is in the lineup," Nolan said. "We have to compete. We didn't have any drive. We played OK, but OK isn't getting you into the playoffs."The Islanders trail eighth place Philadelphia by 11 points, with eight games left.Dubielewicz got the start because Rick DiPietro had an MRI on his hip earlier in the day. He first injured the hip during the skills competition at the All-Star game.The Islanders took the lead on one of the longest goals of the NHL season at 13:48. Killing a penalty, Davison tried to clear the puck from his goal line. The puck was bouncing all the way, and as Toskala went to glove it, it took a sharp, high bounce over his glove and ended up in the net."It just took a bad bounce right in front of me," Toskala said. "Things like that happen. It's been close to happening a few times, for sure."The goal was Davison's first of the season and third in his career."At the time, I wasn't worried because we were playing well," Maurice said. "I figured we'd get one back. But as we started the third period, I got a little uneasy."Toronto had the first seven shots of the second period, and nine of the first 10, but Dubielewicz was sharp. His best save came at 7:48 as he got his right pad against the left post to stop Matthew Stajan's stuff attempt on a short-handed breakaway.Toronto tied the game at 7:24 of the final period when Wellwood, in the low slot, tipped Alexander Steen's shot between Dubielewicz's legs."It feels really good to have a multi-point night," said Wellwood, who added an assist. "I haven't had one in a long time. It must be at least 50 games or so."Islanders rookie forward Kyle Okposo, the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft, made his NHL debut and played well."I was a bit jittery at first, and psyched myself out," Okposo said. "I started to calm down in the second and third. I thought the game was faster than it was. It's no different than what I played. Obviously, guys are better, but hockey is hockey anywhere you go."Notes: Toronto was missing captain Mats Sundin, who missed his second straight game with a groin injury and forward Nik Antropov, who suffered a knee injury during Saturday's 6-2 loss to Buffalo. ... Colaiacovo injured his hamstring in the first period when he was hit by Sean Bergenheim. He missed the rest of the game. ... Joey MacDonald was recalled from Bridgeport to back up Dubielewicz.

Fisher, Ottawa's first second-round pick (44th overall) in 1998, talks about the day he was drafted.

Maple Leafs killed the bruins winning by a massive score of 8-2. Leafs scored 4 powerplay goals.McCabe had a goal and an assist while captain Mats Sundin had 3 points. Antropov scored 2 goals and Jason Blake had a couple of points to kill the bruins.GAME RE-CAP(NHL.COM):BOSTON (AP) -The Toronto Maple Leafs might have been the only ones thinking they were in a playoff chase a month ago. Now, the rest of the Eastern Conference better pay attention.Bryan McCabe had a goal and an assist during a four-goal second period to lead the resurgent Maple Leafs to an 8-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov also scored in the second as Toronto turned a tight game into a rout. Antropov finished with two goals.Toronto, which looked to be buried outside the conference's tight playoff chase three weeks ago, won for the seventh time in 10 games. The Maple Leafs are six points behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot."I think it's something all of us believed in clearly," left wing Alex Steen said. "We've certainly kept the faith and believed we can make the playoffs. The last five weeks or so we've played pretty solid hockey."Toronto scored four power-play goals."Were going to have to stay in the fight in the games were not playing those guys and then do what we did tonight," Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. "We've got to win those games against the teams were trying to catch."Boston has had big problems lately. The Bruins, who won six straight before a current three-game losing streak, have lost a pair of lopsided games this week, also dropping a 10-2 decision against Washington on Monday."I don't think it's time to panic," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "It's certainly time to make the adjustments and address. I don't know if it's we're totally out of sync or the pressure. We've just got to take a step back."Peter Schaefer and Phil Kessel had the goals for Boston."I'm not going to take any credit away from Toronto. They played a good game, too. They're fighting for their lives," Bruins center Marc Savard said. "It's like weve got to get back to doing that for us."Maple Leafs center Mats Sundin played his 1,300th career game, becoming the NHL's 46th player to reach that mark, and scored his team-leading 30th goal. He has 553 in his career.The game was tied 1-1 after one period before the Maple Leafs chased Boston goaltender Tim Thomas in the second."We're just a little fragile right now," Thomas said. "We haven't really been that all year."Ponikarovsky scored when his shot caromed in off the right post, making it 2-1 at 1:17. McCabe's wrister from the left circle ricocheted off Boston forward Chuck Kobasew's skate and past Thomas just 3:31 later.The Bruins' goaltender then allowed a pair of weak goals before being pulled with 8:10 left in the period.Stajan scored on a tough angle, slipping a shot between Thomas' pads from along the goal line outside the right post, to make it 4-1.Antropov's 25th of the season, a wrist shot from the right circle, made it 5-1. Thomas came out and slid kind of awkwardly to his side as the puck slipped under his body.After Thomas was replaced by Alex Auld, he headed straight for the runway and down the ramp that leads to the dressing room before returning to the bench late in the period.Darcy Tucker had a power-play goal in the third, Antropov added his second, and Sundin scored with 4:55 to play.Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead on Schaefer's goal 11:40 into the game, but Toronto tied it on Jason Blake's power-play score 3:02 later.Notes: The Maple Leafs entered with the league's 24th ranked power play. ... It was the teams' sixth meeting, with Boston winning the first three. ... Thomas was also pulled in his last start at Washington on Monday. ... Sundin has six goals and seven assists in his last seven games.

The Maple Leafs Came up big in this on without their Leadding goal/ point scorer, Mats Sundin. Mats Sundin Sufferd a Groin Strain in the First. He is day to day with that injury. Paval Kubina Scored his second game winning goal in these series to help the leafs come closer to the 8th seed. The leafs are 5 Point back from the 8th seed. Next up for the blue and white, March 15th against The Sabers who are also fighting for 8th.Update On Sundin(Groin Strain injury):PHILADELPHIA - Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin was injured during the first period of Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 37-year-old suffered a groin strain and is day-to-day. Sundin had eight shifts in the first period for a total of four minutes 58 seconds of ice time but didn't return for the second. He's the Maple Leafs leading scorer with 77 points (32-45) in 72 games. Game Re-Cap(NHL.COM):PHILADELPHIA (AP) -No thrilling comeback needed for Toronto and Pavel Kubina. Kubina finished Philadelphia in regulation and has the eighth seed within reach for the Maple Leafs.Kubina scored his second-straight game-winning goal to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to their second win against Philadelphia in two nights, beating the Flyers, 3-2 on Wednesday."Hopefully it will be the start of a slide for them and the beginning of a roll for us," defenseman Ian White said. "So with a little help we'll pass them."Kubina scored the winner in overtime on Tuesday when the Leafs rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat the Flyers 4-3. This time, Kubina got Philly early in the third period.Playing without Mats Sundin for the last two periods, the Maple Leafs moved within five points of the Flyers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.The Maple Leafs lost Sundin in the first period with a strained groin muscle. Sundin, who leads the team with 77 points, had scored a point in nine straight games and helped lead the Maple Leafs on their current 9-3-1 streak that has them making a late postseason push.Sundin is day to day and should be able to play Saturday against Buffalo."He's the leader of our club, there's no question, but everyone stepped up when he was out and got the job done," White said.White and Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored goals for Toronto. Vesa Toskala made 18 saves.The Flyers again wasted their home-ice advantage. While the fans haven't deserted them, the Flyers have given them little reason to cheer this season. They dropped to 16-14-6 at home and the diehards booed them off the ice in the final minute.Buffalo, Washington and Florida are also chasing Philadelphia and are in the hunt for that final playoff spot."We're just making this group more crowded all the time," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "It's time for us to start taking care of ourselves."Jeff Carter and Mike Knuble scored for the Flyers.The Flyers bemoaned their blown shot at moving up the East standings and passing Boston and maybe the Rangers if they could have won at Toronto and earned at least a point at home."You're going to run out of opportunities at some point," Knuble said. "We still can control where we go."Martin Biron, who made 51 saves against Toronto on Tuesday, had 28 in this one.Biron, however, was helpless to stop Kubina's power-play slapper 1:09 into the third for a 3-2 lead. Kubina also scored a goal in regulation a night earlier in the third as part of Toronto's stunning comeback."We just have to get him out there more," coach Paul Maurice said. "It's a confidence issue and he's feeling good with that puck right now. He's getting it hard off his stick and he's played well."They carried that momentum over into this one, with White's fourth goal of the season barely 4 minutes into the game giving them a 1-0 lead.Carter tied the score 3 minutes later with his 27th goal when he beat Toskala through his legs.Ponikarovsky took a nice pass across the crease from Dominic Moore and flipped the puck past Biron for a 2-1 lead.Knuble tied the score midway through the second, using a two-man advantage to score his 26th goal. Knuble scored Philadelphia's 78th power-play goal overall and 42nd at home.Notes: NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick, in third place in the Sprint Cup standings, attended his first NHL game. He met Carter before the game and got his jersey. "I'm probably the most uneducated hockey guy in the building," Harvick said. "I wouldn't mind a fight or two along the way." ... Flyers F Joffrey Lupul returned to the lineup after missing a month with a sprained ankle. ... Toskala made his 23rd straight start. ... Flyers D Jaroslav Modry recorded his 200th career assist. ... Sundin had 16 points in his nine-game streak.