TORONTO — Paul Maurice didn't dither in providing an answer to why his Toronto Maple Leafs have found their game in time for another improbable late-season push for the playoffs.
After all, there have been many theories bandied about why the Leafs have gone 10-4 in their past 14 games to keep their faint postseason hopes alive.
One belief is that this bunch has a history of performing well when the pressure is off. Another premise is that with captain Mats Sundin out of the lineup, youngsters Matt Stajan and Alexander Steen have thrived because they finally have been given more ice time and bigger responsibilities by their coach. But Maurice had a different response.
"I think there are two reasons," said Maurice, whose team begins a critical home-and-home set with the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Centre tonight. "Having five of your big-name players take a stand that they want to be here and be a part of it was a real important moment, and goaltending.
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"Vesa [Toskala] has played so very well for us and has given us a chance to win every night. The confidence you get from a goaltender making a save, you don't have to pull the puck out of the net and read about a mistake being made. If the same mistake is being made and the goaltender stops the puck, everybody feels good about it."
The Leafs are 8-4-0 since Sundin, Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe refused to waive their no-trade or no-movement clauses before the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 26. There was plenty of criticism directed at Sundin and, to a lesser degree, the four others that they didn't agree to be moved to a contender because they enjoyed the comfortable country-club-like atmosphere in Toronto.
The fans still fill the seats, even though the Leafs are destined to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third year in a row, most television analysts and newspaper columnists haven't been overly critical and if the players don't feel like talking to reporters on any given day, they simply hide in the back rooms of the team's clubhouse.
But Maurice doesn't agree that Toronto is an easy city to play in. He wondered out loud that the losing streaks earlier this season lingered on too long because all the mounting losses did was result in speculation about former general manager John Ferguson's future and possible trades.
"We weren't able to put together a long enough string of wins earlier in the season and get a good feeling," Maurice said. "Instead, it was about what might happen if we didn't start winning."
Just to illustrate the difference between the early-season Leafs and the team that has performed much better lately, Toronto lost its first three games to the Bruins by a combined score of 11-5 this season, but have beaten Boston in the past three games by a total score of 15-7.
When the Leafs try to extend their three-game win streak against the Bruins tonight, Sundin likely will remain on the sidelines nursing his persistent groin injury. He skated for 15 minutes with his teammates at the beginning of practice yesterday, but then went to the dressing room for treatment. He continued to hold out hope that he will return either in Boston on Thursday or against the Montreal Canadiens at home on Saturday.
"I want to be able to get in there as soon as possible," Sundin said. "But I don't have the capacity in my leg to play yet."
Forward Nik Antropov also continues to recover from his knee injury, but there is a possibility Maurice may use forward Boyd Devereaux, who is ready to return after missing a month with a sprained ankle. Toskala will make his 28th consecutive start.
The 12th-place Leafs begin this home-and-home series four points behind the eighth-place Bruins. But even if the Leafs sweep the Bruins, they have to climb past the surging Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals to move into the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference.
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