| Leafs' power play finally heats up Special teams rank 19th in NHL after awful start By Josh Brown Toronto Star Sports Reporter December 5, 1998 |
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| When things are going good everything starts clicking, even a dreadful power play. This year the Leafs have spent a good chunk of the season as the league's worst team with the man advantage, going 9 for 103 in their first 20 games. But in their last five games, the Buds have capitalized eight times in 25 chances pushing them to a more respectable 19th ranking in the league. ``Guys are working harder now,'' coach Pat Quinn said. ``There are guys on this team who can thrive on the power play. I think we're also getting some breaks now.'' Part of the success is due to the Leafs' change from a more traditional power-play setup to an umbrella style that has two forwards - Igor Korolev and Mats Sundin - working up and down the sides of the offensive zone. This helped the Leafs chip in three power-play goals against Los Angeles in their 4-1 win last Wednesday. ``It's part of the game that can win you games and finally it's risen to the occasion,'' said forward Derek King, who leads the team with four power-play goals. ``It's amazing when you get back to a simple power play and catch a few breaks the amount of confidence it brings.'' King said the team wasn't too worried about the lack of production with the man advantage since they were finding other ways to win. Now he says it's nice to have it as another scoring element on the ice. Power-play scoring has been spread around veterans like King, Sundin, Steve Thomas and Sergei Berezin. Rookie Tomas Kaberle has also worked the point like a professional. ``He's smart and doesn't panic in situations where guys his age would normally panic,'' Thomas said. ``He's pretty impressive as far as that goes.'' Despite the recent success of the power play, the Leafs aren't letting it get to their heads. ``We're still shooting the puck in when it's not necessary and guys aren't getting open for a second pass,'' Quinn said. ``Our power play should win us games but if you become dependent on it you can get in trouble.'' The Leafs take their improved special-team play to Montreal tonight in a battle of Original Six teams. The Habs are struggling at 8-13-3, sitting in the basement of the Northeast Division but always put up a tough fight against the Leafs. ``This is a game we could really plant a seed with and let people know that we are for real,'' Thomas said. |