Toronto Sun: Leafs forward Alexei Ponikarovsky, because of a rib injury, did not make the trip to face the Senators tonight. Coach Paul Maurice said Ponikarovsky will be out a week. Robbie Earl was recalled from the Marlies to take Ponikarovskys spot.

Globe and Mail:

Ponikarovsky hopes to return against Devils

Alexei Ponikarovsky hopes he can return from a rib injury and play in Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils.
The Toronto Maple Leafs left winger missed all four games on the Leafs' road trip last week after being injured in a game against the Atlanta Thrashers.
Leafs head coach Paul Maurice said a decision on Ponikarovsky will be made after the game-day skate on Tuesday.

Sports Network: The Maple Leafs exploded for four goals in the second to take control. Alexei Ponikarovsky's wrister bounced off the right post and in just 1:17 into the period.

BostonHerald: Shane Hnidy pummeled a turtling Alexei Ponikarovsky with 4:12 left and was handed a fighting major and game misconduct, but avoided an instigator penalty that, in the final five minutes, would have meant a game suspension for Hnidy and a $10,000 fine for coach Claude Julien. . . .

Globe and Mail: Parise scored the game's opening goal on a similar play than his game winner. The rebound goal was the result of an outside move by his linemate Langenbrunner, who cruised around Bryan McCabe, causing the Leafs defenceman to fall down.
Moments after the Parise goal, the Leafs failed to score on two quality chances. Nik Antropov hit the post and Brodeur stopped Ponikarovsky from the slot.

Globe and Mail: Leafs captain Mats Sundin, who was in the box for slashing when Flyers defenceman Braydon Coburn scored late in the second period, powered the rally with a power-play goal of his own, thanks to a double screen from teammates Alexander Steen and Alexei Ponikarovsky.
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The Leafs had a power play for the final 1:55 of regulation and Maurice pulled goaltender Vesa Toskala for the final 72 seconds. Ponikarovsky had the best chance in close, but his flip shot over a down-and-out Biron was batted away by the Flyers goalie at the last moment.

The Sports Network: Carter evened the game for Philadelphia just 2:48 later, when he charged into the zone, picked up a loose puck at the point and fired a wrister from the slot that eluded Toskala for Carter's 27th tally of the season.
Toronto pulled back ahead with just over eight minutes left in the first, as Dominic Moore steamrolled into the Philadelphia zone and maneuvered in front of the net, but lost control of the puck. Ponikarovsky swooped in, picked up the puck and wristed it past a screened Biron for a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.

Toronto Star: Those are the kinds of numbers that will keep Toronto competitive for the No.1 draft pick, not a playoff berth.
«You never give up. You can't lose hope," said winger Alexei Ponikarovsky. «We have to regroup and get ready for the next game. Anything can happen at this point. We're not going to quit and not do anything.»
Maurice said the team would not likely have a clear indication of Antropov's immediate future until the swelling in his knee goes down over the next 48 hours. The 28-year-old played only three minutes in the opening frame before he went down as he tried to stickhandle between a couple of Sabres. He went to the dressing room and tried to do some exercises to test the knee but, finally, called it a night.
«I just talked to him and he said, 'It hurts.' I don't know what else is going on," said his friend Ponikarovsky. «He twisted it or something like that. That's what he said.»

The Sports Network: Alexei Ponikarovsky and Kyle Wellwood each added a goal and an assist for the Leafs, who have won three of four. Alexander Steen contributed a pair of helpers, while Vesa Toskala made 27 saves to earn the win.
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Kubina gave Toronto a 2-1 lead on the man advantage with 8:51 to play, blasting a shot from the point through Ponikarovsky's screen and past Dubielewicz.
Toskala made sure the lead held up, stopping all 22 shots he faced over the final two periods, and Ponikarovksy capped off the win by driving home an empty net tally with 27.7 seconds remaining.

Toronto Star: The play never stopped, and the Leafs came back up the ice on an odd man rush. Alex Ponikarovsky and Steen made some nice passes at the blue line, and Blake followed up to take Steen's pass before moving in on Miller for a clean chance.
Blake's wrist shot sailed past Miller's glove hand at 8:39 for the 1-0 lead.

The Sports Network : Vesa Toskala stopped 32-of-36 shots in the win, while Alexei Ponikarovsky and Pavel Kubina each had a pair of assists.
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The visitors again capitalized on the man-advantage at 12:39, as Steen tapped in a feed from Ponikarovsky while stationed at the goalmouth, giving the Leafs a 2-1 edge.

The Canadian Press: Jeremy Reich, Phil Kessel and Glen Murray also scored for the Bruins, who maintained their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and improved to 86 points. That's six ahead of the Leafs with five games left to play for Toronto. The best the Leafs can get to now is 90 points — which almost surely won't cut it.
''I don't feel that at all,'' protested Leafs winger Alexei Ponikarovsky when asked if his team's season was cooked. ''We have another five games and we'll keep battling for it.''
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Ponikarovsky, on a Leafs power play, slid home a shot from the slot with 5:16 left to make it 4-2. Kessel restored the three-goal lead on a one-timer with 3:44 remaining. Reich found the empty net to complete the scoring at 19:43.

Globe and Mail: The players who should depart on waivers are Blake, Bell, Raycroft, Colaiacovo and Ponikarovsky. If no one claims them, they could play for the Leafs' farm team, the Toronto Marlies.
Any Leafs fan knows Blake, Bell and Raycroft are vastly overpaid.
Colaiacovo may be a young defenceman, but with 101 career games over five seasons, it is clear his body cannot stand the rigours of the NHL. He should have been traded at the NHL deadline and now he's got another long-term injury. And Ponikarovsky is not improving enough to justify his $2.24-million salary next season, although he might be tradable.

CBC Sports: Toronto put another scare into the hearts of Sabres fans thanks to rookie defender Anton Stralman, who has been playing outstanding hockey of late. He headmanned the puck nicely to Alexei Ponikarovsky, who zipped it across to a charging Steen and he hammered it home for a 3-2 Leaf lead at 12:03.

London Free Press: The Leafs have only played five preseason games, but Ponikarovsky has done little to impress. The fourth-year Leaf had originally been slated to start on the club's so-called top line this season with Nik Antropov and newcomer Mikhail Grabovski.
That combination didn't last long, largely due to Ponikarovsky's inconsistent play, and Antropov and Grabovski, who picked up nine points in 24 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season, have been matched with other players auditioning for a spot on the team's top line, including another new face, Nikolai Kulemin, last night.