NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Wednesday, May 2 Updated: May 3, 1:26 PM ET Leafs seek to limit Devils' chances By Brian A. Shactman ESPN.com TORONTO -- New Jersey Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski, who scored the overtime game-winning goal against Toronto in Game 3 on Tuesday, exposed one of the biggest myths in sports on Wednesday. "I don't really believe in momentum," he said. Rafalski's goal handed the Devils their second consecutive overtime win and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Maple Leafs. It all means nothing, according to Rafalski, if the Devils don't win Thursday in Game 4. "If we lose Thursday, it's 2-2," he said. "Where's the momentum?" Curtis Joesph is seeing more shots per game (33) than any goaltender in the playoffs. If the Devils win, they will lead 3-1 with the series heading back to New Jersey for Game 5. Toronto knows exactly where the momentum will be if that happens. "We have to play (Game 4) like it's a Game 7," Leafs forward Darcy Tucker said. To avoid falling behind 3-1 to the defending Cup champs, Toronto hopes to eliminate careless turnovers and New Jersey's scoring chances. According to the official Game 3 stats, Toronto turned the puck over 11 times, compared to three for New Jersey. Most of the 11 turnovers resulted in an offensive opportunity by the Devils. "This is a game of turnovers, but there's a right and wrong way to handle it when you're forced to give up the puck," said Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn. "You don't take a risk with it. Good teams do it in the right fashion, in a spot where they are not vulnerable right away. "We've made mistakes at key times that have cost us." Several times in Game 3, Toronto defensemen threw breakout passes almost directly on the sticks of New Jersey forwards. With their speed, the Devils would counter-attack before Toronto's defensemen could even think. "Sometimes, we both would take one guy, and one guy is open," said defenseman Danny Markov when asked if the Toronto forwards and defensemen were missing assignments. The Maple Leafs are allowing over 35 shots a game in their series with the Devils. In Game 3, New Jersey peppered Curtis Joseph with 45 shots, the second-highest single-game total in the playoffs this season. The St. Louis Blues took 48 shots on Ed Belfour in their 3-2 win in double overtime in Game 3. "We have to cut down on their chances, for sure," said center Yanic Perreault. "But we can play better, and we know that." Maple Leafs players think the first period -- and scoring the first goal -- will be crucial in evening the best-of-seven series, "We're in a situation where we want to come out hard in the first 10 minutes," Tucker said. "We came out pretty good in Game 3, but they scored first. For us in Game 4, we'd like to come out and score the first goal." First goal or not, Quinn would like his team's best effort, regardless of the result. "We have to deal with the disappointment of the past couple of games and come back and throw our best at them," he said. "It might not be good enough, but we have to throw our best and that will tell us. If we come back with our best game, we still might not win, but we'll know we're gaining in the mental toughness department." Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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