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Game Recap

Maple Leafs 3, Predators 1

Tuesday, 08.16.2011 / 5:32 AM

Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) -Wade Belak doesn't remember when he last scored or which team it was against.

His rare goal was one of three odd scores by Toronto in the Maple Leafs' 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Goofy goals by Nik Antropov, Matt Stajan and Belak - it was his first in four years, by the way - helped the Leafs win their third straight.

"I was under the age of 30 anyways," was the 31-year-old native of Saskatoon's first response when asked if he could recall his previous goal. "God, I don't know when it was."

For the record, it was Dec. 20, 2003, at home against Montreal.

Shea Weber scored for Nashville, and goalie Chris Mason made 12 saves.

Vesa Toskala made 34 saves for Toronto.

"He stole the show," said Nashville captain Jason Arnott, who had 12 shots on Toskala. "We were on the wrong end of the bounces."

Antropov connected on the game's first shot. Mason glided out to the top of his crease when Hal Gill wound up to take a long shot. The puck struck the stick blade of Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis and caromed at nearly a 90-degree angle to Antropov, who fired it into the vacated net 28 seconds in.

With 11 goals, Antropov is well on his way to topping last season's career-best 18 - if he can avoid injuries. The 6-foot-6 Kazakh missed 28 games last season and 25 the year before.

Stajan made it 2-0 in the second minute of the second period when, with his back to the net, he took a backhand swing at a knee-high puck to put it behind Mason for his sixth of the season.

Belak got his first goal since Dec. 20, 2003, at 2:48 of the third period. Chad Kilger's high, long shot hit Nashville defenseman Greg Zanon and the puck landed on Belak's stick. With Zanon lying on the ice, the 31-year-old forward slid the puck into the open side of the net and raised his arms to celebrate his eighth career goal in his 407th NHL game.

Toskala made his biggest save of the night with 8 1/2 minutes left when he stuck out his left leg to stop a Jason Arnott shot. Arnott shook his head in disbelief and turned to say something to the Finnish netminder. Toskala robbed Arnott again 90 seconds later.

"We played against him in the playoffs when he was in San Jose and he's a good goalie, he's proven that," said Weber.

Notes: The Leafs hadn't had this few shots since taking 18 during a 3-0 win over Ottawa on Nov. 17 ... Sundin's assist on Antropov's goal extended his record home-ice points streak from the start of the season to 16 ... D Pavel Kubina missed his 10th game since hurting a knee Nov. 13 but hopes to be in the lineup against the Rangers in New York on Thursday ... C Jiri Tlusty missed a fifth game since bruising a collarbone Nov. 23 ... Nashville F Scott Nichol sat out to start a five-game league suspension for his cross-check to the face of Montreal's Patrice Brisebois last Saturday.


Scoring Summary
1st Period
00:28
TOR
N. Antropov Wrist - ASST: H. Gill AND M. Sundin
1 - 0 TOR
2nd Period
01:34
TOR
M. Stajan Backhand - ASST: B. Devereaux AND T. Kaberle
2 - 0 TOR
3rd Period
02:48
TOR
W. Belak Snap - ASST: C. Kilger AND T. Kaberle
3 - 0 TOR
14:05
NSH
S. Weber Wrist - ASST: NONE
3 - 1 TOR
Penalty Summary
1st Period
01:19
NSH
Jason Arnott : Holding  (Matt Stajan)
07:41
TOR
Bryan McCabe : Holding  (Jerred Smithson)
13:27
TOR
Nik Antropov : Hi-sticking  (Dan Hamhuis)
14:47
NSH
Alexander Radulov : Hooking  (Alexander Steen)
2nd Period
02:00
TOR
Hal Gill : Delaying Game-Puck over glass
07:33
TOR
Wade Belak : Holding  (Ryan Suter)
12:13
NSH
Marek Zidlicky : Hooking  (Darcy Tucker)
14:19
NSH
Radek Bonk : Boarding  (Staffan Kronwall)
3rd Period
09:26
TOR
Mats Sundin : Slashing  (David Legwand)
Goalie Stats
  • Chris Mason
    SA: 15TOI: 58:58
    SAVES: 12EV: 10 - 13
    PIM: 0PP: 2 - 2
    SV%: .800SH: 0 - 0
  • Vesa Toskala
    SA: 35TOI: 60:00
    SAVES: 34EV: 22 - 23
    PIM: 0PP: 10 - 10
    SV%: .971SH: 2 - 2