Leafs Stun Isles In OT 4-3
Defenseman Sylvain Cote scored with four seconds left in overtime, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
Cote, a long-time Washington Capital before the deal at the trading deadline last Tuesday, scored with four seconds left in overtime to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory Saturday night over the New York Islanders.
Cote, playing his second game as a Maple Leaf, took a pass from Mathieu Schneider and let a shot go from the point. Islanders forward Claude Lapointe went down to block the puck, but deflected over Tommy Salo's shoulder.
"I knew there was not much time left," Cote said of his big goal. "I kind of let (Schneider) know I was open, I was available. He sent it my way and it deflected in front of the net."
As for his trade to Toronto, Cote said:
"If I was not traded to Toronto, I would not be so happy now, that's the way I look at it."
Derek King tied the game for Toronto at 19:09 of the third.
Mariuz Czerkawski gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead at 15:32 of the third with his second goal of the game and seventh of the season.
Joe Sacco scored the other goal for New York, on the Islanders' first shot of the game, at 4:08 of the first period. Czerkawski made it 2-0 just 1:57 later on New York's next shot.
Mats Sundin and Mathieu Schneider also scored for Toronto.
"Derek King might have been our best player tonight," Maple Leafs coach Mike Murphy said. "The third goal really rallied us. We were able to rebound and come back, which we haven't been able to do a lot this season.
"I don't think our team's ever been a team that quit. Strange things happen down the stretch, I keep telling them that."
Toronto closed within five points of idle Edmonton for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Toronto has 10 games remaining, Edmonton nine.
The Islanders remained 10 points behind Ottawa for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto outshot New York 32-28.
The teams matched shots in overtime, with five apiece. Toronto goalie Felix Potvin stopped a slap shot by Ziggy Palffy early in overtime and later slid across the crease to deny Bryan Smolinski.
Toronto outshot New York 13-4 in the second period. The Islanders had only one shot in the first 16 minutes and allowed the shorthanded goal by Sundin at 11:50. The Maple Leafs' captain turned defenseman Bryan Berard inside out on a 1-on-1 and slid a low shot past Tommy Salo.
The Islanders, other than their quick goals, generated little offense until well into the third period.
"I think we just took it for granted. We played too soft," said Islanders defenseman Bryan Berard. "It's the defensive zone mistakewe're making that are costing us. It's too late in the season to be making those."
Left wing Wendel Clark played his first game for Toronto since Jan. 7. He missed 29 games with a groin injury.
©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Cote, a long-time Washington Capital before the deal at the trading deadline last Tuesday, scored with four seconds left in overtime to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory Saturday night over the New York Islanders.
Cote, playing his second game as a Maple Leaf, took a pass from Mathieu Schneider and let a shot go from the point. Islanders forward Claude Lapointe went down to block the puck, but deflected over Tommy Salo's shoulder.
"I knew there was not much time left," Cote said of his big goal. "I kind of let (Schneider) know I was open, I was available. He sent it my way and it deflected in front of the net."
As for his trade to Toronto, Cote said:
"If I was not traded to Toronto, I would not be so happy now, that's the way I look at it."
Derek King tied the game for Toronto at 19:09 of the third.
Mariuz Czerkawski gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead at 15:32 of the third with his second goal of the game and seventh of the season.
Joe Sacco scored the other goal for New York, on the Islanders' first shot of the game, at 4:08 of the first period. Czerkawski made it 2-0 just 1:57 later on New York's next shot.
Mats Sundin and Mathieu Schneider also scored for Toronto.
"Derek King might have been our best player tonight," Maple Leafs coach Mike Murphy said. "The third goal really rallied us. We were able to rebound and come back, which we haven't been able to do a lot this season.
"I don't think our team's ever been a team that quit. Strange things happen down the stretch, I keep telling them that."
Toronto closed within five points of idle Edmonton for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Toronto has 10 games remaining, Edmonton nine.
The Islanders remained 10 points behind Ottawa for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto outshot New York 32-28.
The teams matched shots in overtime, with five apiece. Toronto goalie Felix Potvin stopped a slap shot by Ziggy Palffy early in overtime and later slid across the crease to deny Bryan Smolinski.
Toronto outshot New York 13-4 in the second period. The Islanders had only one shot in the first 16 minutes and allowed the shorthanded goal by Sundin at 11:50. The Maple Leafs' captain turned defenseman Bryan Berard inside out on a 1-on-1 and slid a low shot past Tommy Salo.
The Islanders, other than their quick goals, generated little offense until well into the third period.
"I think we just took it for granted. We played too soft," said Islanders defenseman Bryan Berard. "It's the defensive zone mistakewe're making that are costing us. It's too late in the season to be making those."
Left wing Wendel Clark played his first game for Toronto since Jan. 7. He missed 29 games with a groin injury.
©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
