Boston — With the Eastern Conference lead and an All-Star coaching berth on the line, Toronto beat Boston again.
Curtis Joseph made 21 saves in his third win this season over the Bruins as the Maple Leafs earned a 2-1 victory Thursday night.
"He is on top of his game, especially against us," Bruins forward Bill Guerin said. "Cujo doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, and it is hard to see because he gets his whole body in front of the puck."
The Maple Leafs improved to 3-0-0-1 against the Bruins this season. Toronto has 52 points to lead the Eastern Conference which gives coach Pat Quinn the right to coach the North American All-Star team.
"It's an honor the team presents to the coach," Quinn said. "We're in first right now and I'm happy to go, but it's the guys who did the job."
Quinn is also the coach of the Canadian Olympic team. Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek will be Quinn's assistant in the All-Star game.
"I didn't even think about coaching in the game until someone told me about the possibility today," Ftorek said.
Joseph had his scoreless streak of 194 minutes, 21 seconds snapped when Glen Murray scored his 17th goal. It cut the Maple Leafs' lead to 2-1 with 7:09 remaining.
"You don't take anything for granted," Joseph said. "We seem to play better against more competitive teams, and sometimes that brings out the best in you."
Mats Sundin gave Toronto a two-goal lead at 4:02 of the third period when he tipped in the rebound of Jonas Hoglund's shot. Sundin has six goals and two assists in a six-game point streak.
"It was one of those goals where it was a lucky bounce," Sundin said. "The rebound landed right on my stick, and I scored into an open net."
The teams both finished with 22 shots, tying the Bruins' low for the season. Boston held a 102-55 shots advantage in its previous meetings with Toronto. Alexander Mogilny gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead just 1:52 in when he wristed a shot over the shoulder of Byron Dafoe. It was his second goal in nine games.
The Bruins are 3-4 in their last seven home games, but have won six of eight overall. Dafoe is 13-6-3 career against the Maple Leafs, and has been in net for the last four Bruins losses.
Flames 3, Sabres 1
Calgary, Alberta Craig Conroy tied his career high with his 14th goal and added an assist as Calgary beat Buffalo. With the Flames ahead 2-0, Conroy scored unassisted 2:04 into the second period taking advantage of a sloppy defensive play by Sabres defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. Zhitnik's high pass in his own zone caromed off defense partner Richard Smehlik and was scooped up in the slot by Conroy who promptly fired the puck past Buffalo goalie Martin Biron.
Canucks 5, Canadiens 2
Vancouver, British Columbia Matt Cooke scored twice and Brent Sopel added a goal and an assist as Vancouver beat Montreal. Cooke banged the game-winner past Montreal goaltender Jose Theodore on a rebound 13:36 into the first period and added some insurance with a wrist shot that made it 4-1 late in the third period.
Senators 4, Capitals 1
Ottawa Magnus Arvedson scored twice to break a 24-game goal drought as Ottawa beat Washington. Arvedson, who hadn't scored since Oct. 30, beat goalie Olaf Kolzig to open the scoring with 6:50 left in the first period. His second goal of the game and sixth of the season gave the Senators a three-goal lead with 5:52 left in the second.
Coyotes 2, Thrashers 1
Phoenix Ladislav Nagy had a goal and an assist as Phoenix won its season-high fourth straight game, beating Atlanta. Michal Handzus also scored for the Coyotes, and Sean Burke made 25 saves as coach Bob Francis registered his 92nd victory with the Coyotes second in franchise history to John Paddock's 106.
Blues 4, Blue Jackets 2
St. Louis Scott Mellanby and Scott Young each scored, and Al MacInnis had a goal and an assist to lead St. Louis over Columbus. The Blue Jackets managed only 11 shots and are winless in six road games.
Predators 4, Devils 3
East Rutherford, N.J. Martin Erat and Denis Arkhipov scored early in the first period, and Tomas Vokoun made 32 saves as Nashville earned a rare road victory by beating New Jersey. Petr Tenkrat and Scott Hartnell also scored for Nashville which won for only the second time in 12 road contests (2-9-1).
Islanders 4, Penguins 2
Uniondale, N.Y. On the one-year anniversary of his trade to the Islanders, Jason Blake had a goal and an assist as New York beat Pittsburgh. Blake, traded from Los Angeles for a conditional draft pick, has a goal in three straight games. The fourth-line forward has five goals, matching last season's total.
Avalanche 3, Rangers 2
Denver Rob Blake scored a power-play goal 1:41 into overtime, lifting Colorado over New York. Blake's goal, shot from the right point, came after a goaltender-interference penalty against Andreas Johansson at 19:42 of the third period.
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