Wild Ride in Florida

SUNRISE, Fla. - In a rare reversal of roles, the Toronto Maple Leafs had to cover for their goaltender last night. Usually, it's the other way around. Ed Belfour turned in an admittedly sub-par performance here at the Office Depot Center, but his teammates rallied in front of him to gain a 4-4 overtime tie with the Florida Panthers. A pair of third-period goals by Owen Nolan -- the tying marker with just 2:17 to play -- brought the Leafs back from a 4-2 deficit and enabled them to earn a point in the standings for the 17th time in the past 18 games. Toronto is 14-1-2-1 during that stretch. "I should have had the first and third goals tonight," confessed Belfour. "I'd like to have [both of] them back ... in fact, I'd like to have them all back. But, sometimes things don't go your way and, tonight, the guys worked hard and bailed me out. Much appreciated." Continue reading this article here.

Tie is a treat for the snowbirds

The Panthers offer Leafs fans a deal on Canadian dollars, and, on the ice, Florida wastes a great start by squandering a 4-2 lead in the third period. For Monday's Canada Night at Office Depot Center, the Panthers gave ticket-buyers' Canadian dollars parity with U.S. dollars. They gave Canadian flavor to some Jumbotron interludes. And for their last Snowbird gift . . . The Panthers gave English Canada's team one of the two points they had in their pocket. Another two-goal Panthers lead gained so impressively was lost in a 4-4 tie with Toronto that might have been the ultimate sister-kisser. The only people satisfied were those who are just fans of the game of hockey. Those people can revel just in seeing a game with gorgeous goals, great saves, pancake hits, drawn-out drama, a raucous crowd and (for those with pugilistic tastes) a fight. Continue reading the story here.