From: jca2@cec2.wustl.edu (Joseph Charles Achkar)
Subject: Blues lose to Leafs 6-3  -- 12/27
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis MO
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 05:33:04 GMT

12/27/92   
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By Dave Luecking
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff
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    The Blues' 3-2 overtime victory at Chicago on Saturday night might have
been the start of something big, perhaps the turning point of a dismal season.

    Instead, it might only be a momentary blip on the heart monitor of a
patient who has been dying for weeks.

    The enigmatic Blues followed their uplifting victory in Chicago with a
demoralizing 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs 24 hours later at The Arena.

    They started poorly, giving up a goal to former Blue Doug Gilmour 2 minutes
17 seconds into game. They trailed 2-0 after  Wendel Clark's goal at 10:16 of
the first period and 3-0 after Mark Osborne'goal at 1:09 of the second period.

    Gilmour, Osborne and Dave Ellett each had a goal and two assists for the
Leafs. Rob Pearson had a goal and an assist. Former Blue Peter Zezel also
scored for the Leafs.

    The Blues fought back gamely and got two goals from Ron Sutter and another
from Craig Janney, but they never recovered from their poor start,
disappointing their biggest crowd of the season -- 18,120.

    ``We let down our fans, again," defenseman Jeff Brown said. ``It's
unacceptable. . . . It seems like we've been talking like that too often."

    The loss was the Blues' third in a row at home, matching their longest home
losing streak of the season. They lost three in a row -- to Chicago, Tampa Bay
and Minnesota -- in early October, when Bob Plager coached the team.

    ``Disappointing is a good word for it," captain Brett Hull said. ``That's
the way the whole year has gone so far. It's not good. There's nothing else to
say."

    Typically, he had more to say.

    ``It's a joke. That's what it is," he added.

    The performance Sunday was confounding, considering the Blues' strong play
Sunday and in their previous three games. Before Sunday, the Blues had allowed
only five goals in the previous three games -- a win, a tie and a loss.

    ``It makes no sense," Brown said. ``We went into Chicago and played our
hearts out and won a big game. We had a big chance to move into fourth place
tonight, and we weren't there at the beginning.

    ``We weren't ready, and it cost us."

    A victory would have moved the Blues into a tie for Toronto in fourth place
in the Norris Division. Instead, they remained in last place with a record of
12-19-5 for 29 points, four behind the Leafs and one behind the expansion Tampa
Bay Lightning.

    Toronto snapped a winless streak of three games -- 0-2-1 -- and won for
only the fifth time in 19 games -- 5-11-3. The Maple Leafs improved to 14-16-3
for 33 points.

    They showed no ill-effects from playing on Saturday night and losing 5-1 to
the Detroit Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens. Like the Blues, they flew on a
charter flight to St. Louis early Sunday morning.

    ``We had a good start," Burns said.

    More than the Blues could handle.

    ``We weren't there at the start," Janney said. ``We were patting ourselves
on the back from last night. We got behind the eight-ball. Three-zip. Forget
it."

    Said Ron Sutter: ``We made mental mistakes, just lazy mistakes, and those
are the ones that cost us."

    Added brother Rich Sutter: ``We came out flat, and there's no excuse for
that. It was just a bad first period."

    The Blues got into the game in the second period on Ron Sutter's first
goals in eight games, since the Blues' 5-1 victory over Edmonton on Dec. 5.

    Zezel's first goal in 15 games was sandwiched between Sutter's goals, and
the Blues' trailed 4-2 late in the period. Brendan Shanahan might have cut the
lead to one going into the final period, but Toronto goalie grant Fuhr stopped
him on his first career penalty shot.

    Leafs' defenseman Bob Rouse had pulled down Shanahan on a breakaway, and
referee Mark Faucette awarded the penalty shot with 1:21 to play in the period.
Shanahan skated in on goal and snapped a wrist shot from 15 feet that Fuhr
stopped with his skate.

    ``I saw the corner and thought he'd kick his legs out, and the five- hole
would open up," Shanahan said. ``I tried to go there, but he got his blade on
it."

    In the process, Fuhr took away the Blues' momentum.

    ``That was a big save on Shannie," Rich Sutter said. ``it could have been
4-3 going into the third and that would have made a really big difference. It
didn't happen."

    Fuhr starred throughout the game, making 37 saves as the Blues outshot the
Leafs 40-29. He stopped seven shots by Hull, who also had a number of shots
miss the net.

    ``The first six shots hit something on the way to the net," he said. ``This
was just a typical game for me. I'm happy when I get a  chance now."

    Fuhr shrugged off his success against Hull.

    ``I got lucky a couple of times," he said. ``We have a lot of games left,
and he'll have some more chances."

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