Joseph Again Is the Maple Leafs’ Saving Grace

Don’t write off the Toronto Maple Leafs, not the way Curtis Joseph is playing in goal.

Tomas Kaberle scored on a slap shot with 1:35 to play and Joseph turned in another great game with 34 saves as the Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils, 3-2, to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series, 2-2.

“They have been getting a lot of shots in this series and he has been battling,” Maple Leaf captain Mats Sundin said of Joseph. “He makes the key saves and motivates us. There is no doubt he is the key to this team.”

Jonas Hoglund and Darcy Tucker also scored as the Maple Leafs rebounded from a 5-1 embarrassment on Monday and a demoralizing tying goal by Claude Lemieux late in the third period to even the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Saturday night at Toronto.

“We had a lot to prove as a team and we responded well,” Joseph said.

Scott Gomez, set up by Lemieux, had the other goal for New Jersey, which lost for only the second time in eight postseason games.

Kaberle’s first goal of the playoffs came on his second good chance in the closing minutes. His backhander from the left circle was stopped and Devil defenseman Scott Niedermayer tried to clear the puck. It came back to Kaberle and his shot from above the circle beat Martin Brodeur.

“It was a little wobbly,” Brodeur said. “I think it hit off someone and got inside the post.”