  Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala makes a save on Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane during an NHL hockey game in Chicago, Nov. 13, 2009. (REUTERS/Frank Polich)
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CHICAGO -- Just like the old days, it takes a special kind of team to survive the first few minutes of hockey here after the Star Spangled Banner rocks the house.
The Maple Leafs aren't yet at that level of confidence, though they can still give their old Norris Division rivals a scare.
They were outshot 20-12 in the first period and down 2-0 with a disallowed goal thrown in, en route to a 3-2 loss, their 14th in 17 games. But two Phil Kessel goals and a good effort from Vesa Toskala made the Central Division leaders sweat out the result before a season-high 21,036 at the United Center, a 62nd consecutive sellout.
"Not good enough," defenceman Tomas Kaberle said. "(Poor first periods), that's been our battle all year long."
To be fair, the Leafs were robbed in Al Capone fashion by video replay in the first period. Niklas Hagman took three whacks at a loose puck, the final one which seemed to have gone over the line inside Cristobal Huet's glove.
After an unusually long seven-minute review, no conclusive video of the puck could be found.
"They talk about inconclusive, but I don't think you can get more conclusive than that," argued Leafs coach Ron Wilson. "At least it would have stopped the bleeding for us in the first period. But we made some bone headed plays."
The killer was the struggling Luke Schenn strolling out in the slot and taking his time looking for a forward, only to be stripped by Patrick Kane, who beat Vesa Toskala at 3:22.
"It was a mistake and I wished it hadn't happened," said Schenn, who wasn't benched by Wilson and played much better as the night went on.
Duncan Keith and Troy Brouwer made it 3-0, Brouwer on a power play after Toronto's 30th-ranked penalty unit had made it through a five-on-three. Keith's goal was first taken away at intermission and given to East York's John Madden, then given back after the game.
Keith's shot first banked off Nikolai Kulemin's stick after Kulemin had fumbled a chance in the opening minutes right in Cristobal Huet's crease. Kessel now has four goals in five games, wiring two past Huet, late in the second and at 5:33 of the third. By then, Matt Stajan had replaced John Mitchell at centre on the first line with Kessel and Jason Blake. Toronto couldn't click on two third-period power plays, as well.
"I thought we had three or four passengers tonight," Wilson said of shaking up the lines.
Before the game, he was already speaking out in defence of the much-maligned Toskala (0-3-2), saying it was incorrect to call him a "backup" to Jonas Gustavsson.
"He made a dozen great saves when we needed them (34 shots in all)," Wilson said.
Toskala, who made a fine pad save on a breaking Kane with 2:25 to go in regulation, has had some success against Chicago from his days in the West with San Jose. Whatever the case, Gustavsson is expected back tonight against the Calgary Flames and possibly for every game up to the next set of back-to-backs at the end of the month.
LANCE.HORNBY@SUNMEDIA.CA
