STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS / WESTERN CONFERENCE : Maple Leafs’ Zezel Has A-Plus Game Against Canucks

Peter Zezel did it all.

The Toronto center, used primarily in a checking role and sent out to take key faceoffs, scored two goals, including the game-winner 16:55 into overtime, to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory Monday night over the Vancouver Canucks in the opening game of the NHL Western Conference final.

Dave Andreychuk also scored for the Maple Leafs. Trevor Linden and Dave Babych scored for the Canucks.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night.

Zezel scored the winning goal into a vacated net.

Teammate Mark Osborne shot the puck from center ice into a corner of the Vancouver zone and linemate Bill Berg raced after it. Canuck goaltender Kirk McLean dashed out of his crease and ran into Berg. Zezel, following Berg, fired the loose puck into the open net and the capacity crowd of 15,700 celebrated as the rest of the Leafs jumped off the bench to congratulate Zezel.

“It was a great play by Ozzie to get the puck in deep,” Zezel said. “McLean had to come out to play the puck and it was tipped by Bergie.

“I guess McLean didn’t see me coming in.”

Said McLean: “I got to it and tipped it away and Zezel, who was along the boards, just threw it at the net and it hits the post and goes in. It was a lucky goal as far as I’m concerned.”

Canuck Coach Pat Quinn said that, on the winning goal, his players “made a mental error and we can’t make those. But that wasn’t the only thing we’ll have to fix. We looked like a team that was afraid to win tonight.”

Leaf Coach Pat Burns was delighted with Zezel’s night.

“Any goals that line gets are gravy on the potatoes,” Burns said. “It takes a lot of pressure off some of our other guys.”