NHL ROUNDUP : Maple Leafs Win 9th in Row to Set Record

The Toronto Maple Leafs gained their ninth consecutive victory and broke the NHL record for most wins at the start of the season with a 2-0 decision over the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Mark Osborne had both goals for the Maple Leafs. Toronto’s ninth consecutive victory matched the longest winning streak in franchise history--a record established in 1925.

The second-largest crowd in NHL history, 22,880, watched in the ThunderDome.

Toronto’s Felix Potvin stopped 24 shots to improve to 8-0. The second-year goaltender led the NHL with a 2.50 goals-against average last season and has given up two or fewer goals in five games this season.

Toronto broke the previous record of eight consecutive victories to start a season set by the 1934-35 Maple Leafs and matched by the 1975-76 Buffalo Sabres.

New Jersey 2, Florida 1--The Devils remained perfect under Jacques Lemaire, winning a franchise-record seventh consecutive game on a shorthanded goal by Scott Stevens at East Rutherford, N.J.

The start is the best in Devils’ history, and in any other season would receive considerable notice but for the Maple Leafs.

Devil goalie Chris Terreri stopped 35 shots and came up big five times in the final six minutes to make Stevens’ goal at 3:12 of the final period stand up.

Ottawa 5, New York Islanders 5--Both the Islanders’ Derek King and the Senators’ Sylvain Turgeon scored their first three goals at Uniondale, N.Y., as the Islanders and Senators continued winless streaks.

St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 3--Phil Housley scored his second goal of the game with 12.8 seconds left in regulation and the Blues ended the Penguins’ 13-game winning streak at Pittsburgh.

The Blues pulled goalie Curtis Joseph for an extra attacker after Larry Murphy put the Penguins ahead on a power-play goal with 1:34 remaining.

Pittsburgh finished the 1992-93 regular season with 10 consecutive home wins and started this season with three in a row.

Quebec 3, Dallas 2--Andrei Kovalenko snapped a 1-1 tie midway through the third period and Martin Rucinsky added the decisive goal at Quebec with 3:57 remaining. All the scoring came in the third period.

Buffalo 3, Hartford 3--Sean Burke turned away 27 shots at Hartford in his season debut and Michael Nylander scored with 2:37 remaining in regulation as Hartford rallied to tie slump-ridden Buffalo.

The tie extended the Sabres’ winless streak to eight games. They have not won since opening the season with a 5-3 decision at Boston on Oct. 7.

Nylander’s first goal of the season came when he slammed a loose puck past Buffalo goaltender Grant Fuhr. Burke stopped a semi-breakaway by Dale Hawerchuk with seven seconds left to preserve the tie.

Winnipeg 9, Philadelphia 6--Keith Tkachuk scored three times, and Teemu Selanne had two goals and three assists for the Jets at Philadelphia. The victory was the Jets’ first on the road in five games this season and snapped Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak.

Boston 3, Calgary 3--Glen Wesley’s shorthanded goal in the third period gave the Bruins the tie at Calgary. Wesley scored his first goal of the season at 8:05, tapping in a goal-mouth pass from Adam Oates. An earlier Boston goal, by Steve Heinze at 16:26 of the second, was also shorthanded.

The Flames appeared to be on their way to a victory by scoring three goals in the second, including German Titov’s first.

Chicago 4, Detroit 2--Joe Murphy scored twice and Ed Belfour stopped 29 shots at Chicago. Dirk Graham helped to kill off eight of nine Detroit power plays, scored a shorthanded goal 46 seconds into the game and set up Kevin Todd’s first-period goal.

Vancouver 6, San Jose 4--The Canucks built a 3-0 lead and then held on to defeat the Sharks at San Jose. Pavel Bure’s unassisted goal, his seventh goal of the season, gave the Canucks some breathing room in the third period after San Jose closed to within 4-3.

Cloud Nine

The Toronto Maple Leafs set an NHL record Saturday by winning their ninth game in a row to start the season. A look at the record and their streak:

MOST CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES TO START A SEASON

Victories Team Season 9 Toronto Maple Leafs 1993-1994 8 Toronto Maple Leafs 1934-1935 8 Buffalo Sabres 1975-1976 7 Edmonton Oilers 1983-1984 7 Quebec Nordiques 1985-1986 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1986-1987 7 New Jersey Devils 1993-1994

*

STREAK AT A GLANCE

Date Opponent Score Oct. 7 vs. Dallas 6-3 Oct. 9 vs. Chicago 2-1 Oct. 10 at Philadelphia 5-4 Oct. 13 vs. Washington 7-1 Oct. 15 vs. Detroit 6-3 Oct. 16 at Detroit 2-1 Oct. 19 vs. Hartford 7-2 Oct. 21 at Florida (OT) 4-3 Oct. 23 at Tampa Bay 2-0