Maple Leafs rock Avalanche

The Toronto Maple Leafs renewed acquaintances Thursday night with Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker, and with the win column.

Dominic Moore provided two goals and one assist as the Maple Leafs halted a four-game losing skid with a 7-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.

Toronto hadn't won in Denver since March 29, 1997, when the Avalanche played at the McNichols Sports Arena.

"We got some breaks for a change and took advantage of them," Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson said, mindful that the team had scored just four times in its previous three games. 

"The little tweaks we made energized some of our players. It was fun to see."

"It is hard to remember who has the lead and what the score is when there is that many goals," Maple Leafs defenceman Jeff Finger said. "It was a great win."

Jason Blake chalked up one goal and two assists, rookie Mikhail Grabovski had a goal and an assist, and Nik Antropov, Finger and Matt Stajan also tallied for Toronto.

"It was a little deja vu in warmups, looking over and seeing my old teammates," said Finger, a former Avalanche defenceman signed by Toronto this off-season.

Niklas Hagman and rookie Nikolai Kulemin each had two assists in handing Colorado its sixth loss in seven games.

"Just another tough loss," Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk said. "We battled the whole game, but came away with nothing."

Hejduk scored twice to lead the Avalanche, while Chris Stewart and John-Michael Liles had the other goals.

Hejduk thought he had notched a hat trick in the third period, but linemate Ryan Smyth was penalized for interfering with netminder Vesa Toskala and the goal was waved off. 

"I didn't agree," Smyth said. "I thought I stopped and got pushed."

Indeed, television replays showed Smyth was pushed into Toskala by Maple Leafs rookie defenceman Luke Schenn.

"It was a call the ref had to make in a split decision," Avalanche head coach Tony Granato said. "I don't think it was the right call."

Wilson saw things differently.

"Smyth took the goalie out of the play," he said. "You know who it was, Ryan Smyth - he is known for doing that.

"He has got a reputation and the referee was watching. Luke bumped him and Ryan had his stick between his legs."

Raycroft, who spent the previous two seasons with Toronto, was raked for seven goals on 30 shots. 

He has lost four straight starts following a career-high seven-game winning streak.

Tucker, a popular performer in eight seasons with the Maple Leafs, was a non-factor in the outcome.

"We have to try to straighten things out, no question about it," Smyth said. "This was a game we should have had."

'This thing went back and forth' 

Antropov opened the scoring on Toronto's first shot, sweeping the puck around Raycroft for his 14th goal of the season just 1:52 into the contest.

"That first goal set us back on our heels," Smyth said. "Then this thing went back and forth."

Stewart tied it 1-1 late in the first period, and Colorado took the lead on Hejduk's power-play goal 81 seconds into the second period. 

Video review confirmed that Hejduk scored as he barrelled into Toskala, who tried to sweep the puck off the goal-line with his stick.

The lead proved shortlived as Grabovski retrieved the puck during a scramble and backhanded it into the net for a power-play goal, his 13th at the 3:09 mark.

Finger put Toronto in front with his third on a slapshot from inside the blue-line at 9:40, but Hejduk knotted it just 30 seconds later on a wraparound goal.

Four minutes after that, Moore, from one knee, rifled the puck between Raycroft and the right post to make it 4-3.

After Liles tallied from the slot 3:10 into the third, the Maple Leafs caught a break off a faceoff when the puck banked off a skate to Blake, who flicked it over Raycroft for his 16th goal at 4:56.

Both Stajan and Moore closed out the scoring with their 11th goals with 4:16 and 1:57 remaining, respectively.