Oct 11, 2002 4 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The only problem for the Toronto Maple Leafs after a memorable debut by their new top line and goaltender is they left little room for improvement. Alexander Mogilny and Mats Sundin each scored twice on Toronto’s newly formed No. 1 line and Ed Belfour had a shutout in his first start for the Maple Leafs, a dominating 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Darcy Tucker set up the first four goals and Mogilny and Sundin each enjoyed four-point games as the new first line – already under considerable media scrutiny after not scoring a goal in the preseason – had a big opening night.

“It’s important to get off to a fast start,” Sundin said. “I think in the exhibition season we were passing up too many shots, so we made sure to take the shot tonight. It was only one game, but we’ll take it.”

The same can’t be said for the Penguins despite the return of owner-star Mario Lemieux, who played for the first time since Feb. 27. He missed the final six weeks of last season with a hip injury.

Lemieux made a couple of did-you-see-that passes early in the game, including a behind-the-back feed from along the boards that floated perfectly to a teammate’s stick. But he went scoreless as the Penguins picked up where they left off at the end of last season, when they went 0-8-1-1 to finish up their worst season since Lemieux’s rookie year in 1984-85.

Pittsburgh had plenty of chances, with seven power plays in the first two periods, including a two-man advantage lasting 1:21 in the second period. But they managed only one shot on that power play, and finished 0-for-9 overall with the man advantage.

“It was just one game. Obviously, it wasn’t a good showing,” Lemieux said. “Obviously, the power play has to get better. The transition game has to get better. Overall, it was not a good game for anybody.”

That’s an understatement – it was the worst opening-game loss and first opening-game shutout in the Penguins’ 35-year history.

“I think some guys were nervous out there,” coach Rick Kehoe said. “I thought we came out strong and we were pressing and pressing to get a goal. When we got the puck in good scoring positions, some of the guys didn’t shoot it.”

The game didn’t even sell out, a rarity since Lemieux came out of retirement at midseason in December 2000. The crowd of 15,309 was about 1,400 below capacity.

Belfour was a seemingly unpopular replacement in hockey-obsessed Toronto for Curtis Joseph, and was booed at home during a preseason game. He turned aside 33 shots in his 59th career shutout, but few were good scoring chances and even Lemieux didn’t get many opportunities.

“He was very solid,” Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn said. “He has a lot of good years for people to be picking on him for one bad year, so I felt very confident with him. He’s going to do fine for us.”

Belfour is the first goalie to get a shutout in his Toronto debut.

“Eddie was huge,” Mogilny said. “If they had scored on some of those power plays, it could have been a different game. It’s a good start for us and I’m very pleased.”

The Leafs, Eastern Conference finalists last spring following a 100-point regular season, didn’t take long to seize control. Mogilny scored off a cross-crease pass from Sundin during a two-man advantage at 5:34 of the first, and Sundin scored just more than three minutes later, taking a pass from Tucker off the boards to beat goalie Johan Hedberg high to the glove side.

Mogilny, who scored only 24 goals in his first season with Toronto after getting 43 the year before with New Jersey, made it 3-0 early in the second following a give-and-go involving Sundin and Tucker.

Sundin and Karel Pilar each scored on odd-man breaks during the third period, and Nik Antropov also scored.

NOTES: The Penguins have been outscored 9-1 in their last two home openers. They lost 3-1 to Colorado last season. … The Maple Leafs prepared for the game by spending several days at a nearby resort in Wheeling, W.Va., where the Penguins have a farm club. … Sundin needs one more goal for 400 in his career.