Sundin Leads Maple Leafs

It has been pretty simple for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season: If Mats Sundin gets a point, the Maple Leafs don’t lose.

Sundin scored two goals and Curtis Joseph made 29 saves Wednesday night to lead the Maple Leafs to a 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Detroit.

The Maple Leafs are 14-0-1-1 when Sundin has a point and extended their road winning streak to four games. The Red Wings were shut out for the second consecutive game.

Jonas Hoglund’s shot was deflected to Sundin, who managed to put it into the right side of the net at 3:39 of the first period.

“Jonas shot it and it went off one of their players and hit one in the chest and came right down on my stick,” Sundin said. “I had an empty net so that was a flukey one.”

Then Hoglund sprung Sundin for a breakaway and he beat Manny Legace high at 15:10 of the first period.

“Those are nice,” Sundin said of Hoglund’s pass. “I told him, too, it’s been a long time since I had a breakaway like that from the blue line. He made a great play on that goal.”

Hoglund wasn’t surprised by his linemate’s play, or by the way the team responded.

“He’s our leader,” he said. “He’s obviously our best player on the team so when he scores and gets the jump, we’re a much better team. He makes everyone else pick up their game.”

Yanic Perreault gave Toronto a 3-0 lead with 17:42 to play when he beat Legace by putting the puck in the top of the net.

Joseph earned his 30th shutout.

Philadelphia 6, Tampa Bay 3--John LeClair scored three goals, among them the go-ahead goal late in the third period, and Flyers tallied three goals in a 76-second span at Philadelphia.

LeClair, playing only his fifth game since returning from back surgery, got his first hat trick of the season, and 11th of his career--three against the Lightning. He has 29 goals in 36 games against Tampa Bay.

Edmonton 4, Nashville 0--Ryan Smyth had two goals and an assist, and Tommy Salo stopped 18 shots at Edmonton, Canada, for his fourth shutout of the season.

Phoenix 1, Vancouver 1--Shane Doan scored unassisted in the first period to send the Coyotes into the lead, and Brendan Morrison tied the score for the Canucks 2:29 into the third at Phoenix.

New York Islanders 4, Florida 1--Bill Muckalt and Roman Hamrlik scored within a 53-second span of the second period at Sunrise, Fla., to send the Islanders to only their second victory in 13 games.

Carolina 5, Atlanta 3--Sami Kapanen scored two goals at Atlanta to help the Hurricanes take over first place in the Southeast Division.

Boston 3, Pittsburgh 2--Bill Guerin scored two goals in the third period at Pittsburgh as the Bruins ended a three-game losing streak.

New York Rangers 3, Washington 2--Brian Leetch and Theo Fleury assisted on all three Ranger goals at New York.

New Jersey at Buffalo, ppd.--The game at Buffalo, N.Y., was postponed because a snowstorm blanketed Buffalo. It will be made up tonight.

Around the League

Philadelphia Flyer General Manager Bob Clarke said he’s no closer to trading Eric Lindros than he was last week when the star center declared his strong desire to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clarke got a phone call from Boston Bruin General Manager Mike O’Connell on Tuesday to discuss Lindros, but it was a short conversation. “He asked, ‘What’s up with Lindros,’ and I said ‘Ask him,’ ” Clarke said, adding that a couple of other teams called with the same question. Lindros, 27, rejected an $8.5-million qualifying offer from the Flyers last summer, declined to meet with Clarke to discuss his future and made it clear he will not return to the team because of a contentious relationship with the general manager. . . . Billy Tibbetts, a one-time star prospect who served 2 1/2 years in prison and has a lengthy criminal record in Massachusetts, was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tibbetts, 26, was out of hockey for three years before signing with Pittsburgh last spring.