Moose have lost touch

TORONTO -- Playoff hockey is about a lot of things -- goaltending, intensity, desire, discipline, walking a fine line and sticking to your systems.

But what all those things must lead to is big plays, and that's where the Manitoba Moose fell flat on their faces Sunday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum.

The league-leading Moose had plenty of grit, plenty of chances but almost no finish and lost 2-1 to the fourth-seeded Toronto Marlies, falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven North Division semifinal series. Game 4 is slated for Toronto on Tuesday.

"Again, like Game 1, we had the opportunities and lots of chances and until finally (Alex) Bolduc got one, we didn't know if we'd get one," said Moose coach Scott Arniel, describing the doubt that clearly existed in the Moose offence on Sunday.

"(We did) a lot of good things. But we made a mistake there early in the third, got caught, and they blew the zone with all their guys and we got caught in a foot race."

That opening created a game-winning goal by Toronto's Tim Stapleton, who had speed and room down the right wing.

He put a fake on Moose goalie Cory Schneider, cut to the bad angle on the outside and took his shot. Schneider touched the puck, but it rolled across the line for the big Marlies' play of the day.

"I think it was a great play by (Bates) Battaglia," the talented Toronto centre said after his first point of the series. "I don't think many people could have made that pass. It was perfect, hit me right in motion and with my speed, I was able to create that room for that opportunity."

Stapleton said the series has been close and Schneider's near-save is evidence of just how close.

"He almost made the save," said Stapleton. "You have to give him credit. It was more of a lucky goal, I think, because he made a great effort and got a piece of it.

"But it went in and the bottom line is we got the win."

Stapleton, Battaglia and Jiri Tlusty have not been big factors in the overall game of pressure so far -- they had seen a steady diet of Mike Keane, Bolduc and Dusty Collins -- but a winning goal counts for plenty.

"He (Keane) is good," Stapleton said. "They're doing a great job. Our line's been shut down pretty good so far in the series.

"We were able to get one today and the other night, but so far they haven't been giving us much.

"You have to give them credit and we have to be ready for the rest of the series, keep working and just find ways to contribute to winning."

Their pluck has been just fine but finding ways is now just what the Moose have in front of them.

They put only one shot of 31 past Marlies goalie Justin Pogge, continued to bang hit-for-hit with Toronto and probably had the better of the chances in the game.

"I thought we did a great job tonight of throwing the (hitting) the other way," Arniel added.

"We had some great hits, didn't back away. I thought our puck battle was at its best.

"We didn't spend a lot of time in our end of the rink. But both goals came off the rush. We'll just have to make sure we're better at that."

Schneider shook his head after the game at the kind of goals that are getting past him.

"I got most of (Stapleton's shot) but it just, just went in," he said. "It's kind of how the series has gone, goals just barely sneaking in over the line and getting bad bounces and we can't seem to buy a post-and-in or anything like that.

"We've been playing pretty tight, eliminating their chances, especially off the rush, but they made a nice play to pull up and hit the wide guy and somebody was coming with speed. I tried to be aggressive to take the shot away, but he read that and made a really skilled play."

Something the Moose need, and soon.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 20, 2009 C1