At his current pace, Alexander Mogilny will score 109 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. 

So far, Alexander the Great has been everything the Leafs hoped he'd be when they landed him with a four-year, $22.5-million contract. So far, so good. 

Known for scoring in streaks, the Russian right-winger has scored four goals in his first three games in the blue and white. 

Just how many goals does he think he can score this year? 
``I don't think anything,'' he replied as he made a hasty exit from the Air Canada Centre after practice Tuesday. ``It's only three games.'' 

The man does his talking on the ice. He's often the first player out of the arena, and he dodges reporters as deftly as he does opposition checkers. 

``You should have seen me 10 years ago,'' he said with a grin when his getaway abilities were noted. 

The Leafs have lost to Ottawa, tied Montreal and defeated Anaheim, and the line of Robert Reichel between Mogilny and Gary Roberts has accumulated 14 points. 

``I'm getting more comfortable every game,'' Mogilny said before ducking into an elevator. 
Speed is a big asset for the line, although Mogilny dodges the notion. 

``I wouldn't call myself and Robert speedy people out there,'' said Mogilny, choosing to argue the point rather than agree with it. ``Maybe 10 years ago we were quicker. Now we're 30 (Reichel) and 32 (Mogilny).'' 

Well, the three move the puck around quickly, and that's an important factor, right? 
``Everybody in the league does the same thing,'' Mogilny responded. ``Sometimes the pucks go in and all of a sudden the media makes a big thing about it.'' 

Well, there must be something to explain the 14 points. What is it? 

``I don't know,'' Mogilny said. ``We just go out and work hard and try to compete every shift we're out there. 

``That's all you can ask.'' 

The league's crackdown on slashing and obstruction must help skilled players. Right? 
``It's no different than any other year,'' he said. ``The game changes every year, every two years, with guys getting faster, quicker and bigger.'' 

But he is getting comfortable with his new surroundings, isn't he? 

``It's only three games. We have 79 games to go. It's a long season.'' 
Roberts has much more to say about the line. 

``We've got opportunistic guys in Alex and Robert who can really take advantage of chances they get, and I'm trying to create those chances by getting the puck to them,'' Roberts said. 
He picks out patience as a prime Mogilny trait. 

``He lets a play develop,'' Roberts explained. ``I've been offside a few times. I need to be more patient on the rush.'' 

Roberts and Reichel were teammates in Calgary eight years ago when each had 40-goal seasons, and the reunion is paying off for coach Pat Quinn. Mogilny fits in as if the three have skated together for years. 

``Anytime you can shoot the puck like Alex can coming off the wing, the defenceman has to honour both his shot and his quickness because if the defenceman gives him too much room (Mogilny) is going to shoot it by him and use him as a screen like he has on a couple of his goals, and if the defenceman closes the gap too quickly (Mogilny) is just going to go around him,'' said Roberts. ``So it's tough for a defenceman when you've got a player as creative as Alex is coming down the wing. 

``There are lots of offensive weapons he can use. For me, as soon as I see him cross the blue-line I make sure I don't go offside, and get my butt to the net. Either the puck is going in or there might be a rebound. Robert will be the trailer in a lot of situations because I'm going to the net. So, if there is no play for Alex, maybe he can hit Robert coming down the middle.'' 

Mogilny has scored his four goals on only five shots on goal. 

``It's going to be tough for me to catch any rebounds,'' said Roberts. ``I'm going to have to keep my eyes open.'' 

The line's productivity is a big reason why the Leafs are confident about their chances this season. Their success gives them a solid 1-2 combination, taking pressure off the line of Mats Sundin between Jonas Hoglund and Mikael Renberg. 

``You can tell there's a difference (on the team) even though it's only three games into the regular season,'' said Sundin. ``I can tell already we have a little more of a punch. 

``That doesn't mean we're not going to have to play good defensively to win hockey games but we know that if we play good defence our offence will take care of itself. We have players on all four lines that can score goals. That's a great change from last year.'' 

Renberg has been doing spadework for his line similar to what Roberts is accomplishing. 
``He's been a good fit so far,'' Sundin said of Renberg. 

As for Mogilny, few of the Leafs will get to know him well off the ice. He keeps to himself. But Sundin likes what he's seen on the ice and in the dressing room. 

``He certainly seems like a team player who works hard in practices and is vocal in the dressing room,'' said Sundin. ``Being part of that Stanley Cup-winning team in New Jersey, he's become a really great all-around player. 

``Him and Robert and Mikael are bringing not only good plays on the ice but leadership as well. They're experienced guys, all three of them, who have been part of winning teams. They're not afraid to say something, and when they do they raise good points.'' 

18 октября 2001 года.
Vancouver holds no special place for Mogilny // Toronto Star

By Ken Campbell

Leafs winger recalls dark times with Canucks

VANCOUVER — Maple Leafs right winger Alexander Mogilny isn't the kind of guy who circles dates on the schedule against his former teams. In fact, his return to Vancouver as a Maple Leaf evokes more ambivalence than anything else. 

The Canucks are getting a steady diet of former great players this week. Pavel Bure and his Florida Panthers played here Tuesday night and Mogilny and the Leafs are here tonight. Bure and Mogilny are the only two 50-goal scorers in Canucks history, but Mogilny clearly recalls some very dark times here, too. 

"There are plenty of people who have played for the Canucks. What's the difference, me or anyone else?" Mogilny said. "I didn't accomplish anything here, it's no big deal. It's a great city and I'm happy to come back, but it's another stop, another game." 

Mogilny scored 55 goals for the Canucks in 1995-96, his first season after coming to Vancouver from the Buffalo Sabres. But he also posted seasons of 18 and 14 goals. 

"I was a big part of the team and I wasn't doing my job and that was probably one of the reasons we didn't do well," he said. "How many coaches — four or five? — did we go through in a couple of years?" 

Mogilny is exhibiting some of the same traits that made him so difficult to figure out when he played for the Canucks. His penchant for being dominant one game and invisible the next has emerged early in his tenure with the Leafs. Mogilny still leads the team in goals with four, but that total was amassed in two games. He was brilliant in his two-goal performance against the Mighty Ducks last week, but has just four shots in three games since. 

Another Maple Leaf who has tailed off after a very good start is Nik Antropov, who went from playing out of position on the fourth line to the press box against the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night. And while GM-coach Pat Quinn wouldn't indicate whether Antropov will be back in tonight, he had him skating alongside black aces Tie Domi and Bob Wren in practice yesterday. His spot on the fourth line was taken by defenceman Wade Belak, who saw his first action of the season against Edmonton. 

Quinn said no decision has been made on Antropov, but has repeatedly said that he won't keep Antropov up here if he's not going to play. This is a crucial year for Antropov and there is a growing feeling that he would be far better served playing his natural centre position and getting 25 minutes a game playing in all types of situations with St. John's. 

Antropov has a goal and an assist in five games of work, but has averaged just 7:37 of ice time per game. Going down to the AHL did not hurt Alyn McCauley's game last year and the longer Antropov languishes in the NHL, the more likely his chances are of going from top prospect to first-round bust. 
"If you talk to any player, they will tell you that they want to play," Antropov said. "I am the same. I will go to St. John's if that's where they send me. It's the coach's decision and I don't have any control over it." 

Another player who might see his first action of the season is backup goalie Corey Schwab. Curtis Joseph has played each of the first six games of the season and finally got on a roll against Edmonton, so he might want to go again. Quinn said it's possible Schwab will play against his former team. 

"I'd just like to play against anybody," Schwab said. "Obviously I'd like to get in a game here sometime, but I understand the situation that if it's not back-to-back games and if they don't feel that Cujo needs a rest, then he's going to be playing." 

30 октября 2001 года.
Mogilny's main goal is to keep trying hard // Toronto Sun

By MIKE ZEISBERGER 

Alexander Mogilny refuses to push the panic button, even if certain members of the media and the public appear poised to do so. 

Less than a month into the season, critics already are wagging a finger at the gifted Maple Leafs forward, who has scored in just two of 11 games and has not registered a goal since netting a pair against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Oct. 8. 

In the wake of the eight-game goalless skid, reporters confronted the speedy winger yesterday with questions regarding the baggage he has supposedly carried throughout his career -- specifically, allegations that he is a streaky player who lacks motivation at times and produces his best numbers when his contract is on the verge of expiring. 

Earlier in his career, such suggestions might have led Mogilny, who values his privacy, to seek refuge in the back corners of the dressing room complex. 

But the Russian forward, who was a popular figure with his Devils teammates during his 16 months with New Jersey, has nothing to hide these days. After all, his team is three games above .500, not below. 

"What can I say? Why would I be down?" said Mogilny, who signed a four-year, $22-million US free-agent deal with the Maple Leafs during the summer. 

"All I can do is keep up my intensity. 

"The past couple of games I've been getting more chances. The opportunities haven't been there, and maybe I should have taken a couple more shots instead of trying to pass." 

Mogilny has taken just 13 shots in 11 games. 

After an ill-fated line shakeup that saw Mogilny matched up with Shayne Corson and Nik Antropov, he was reunited with Robert Reichel and Gary Roberts last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Playing on the line he started the season with seemed to agree with Mogilny, who once again was an offensive threat in Toronto's 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh. 

"It helps being back with them, because you have to know the tendencies of your partners," Mogilny, 32, said. "You have to find a way to get used to it." 

General manager/coach Pat Quinn, who coached Mogilny in Vancouver, defended his player, who has yet to score on the road. 

"I'm neither down on Alex nor disappointed,"Quinn said. "Alex is a good player capable of putting points up. 

"Often when guys of his qualities are not getting their points, they tend to stay to the outside. To get going, you have to get back to the inside. 

"He has all those points in his career because he seeks perfection. As long as the effort is there, you know he is capable of making plays others can't." 

9 ноября 2001 года.
Devils: Mogilny back in new jersey // Star-Ledger

BY RICH CHERE

Scott Gomez says he will chat with former linemate Alexander Mogilny, wish him the best and probably do a lot of kidding around off the ice. 

He will not, Gomez promises, have any trouble getting down to the business of trying to make Mogilny's return to Continental Airlines Arena a miserable homecoming when the Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs meet tonight in the first half of a home-and-home series. 

Gomez's teammates aren't so confident. 

"Sergei Nemchinov has been bugging me all week. He's worried I might see Alex in the slot and pass it to him," Gomez said yesterday at South Mountain Arena in West Orange. 

Do not for a moment think Gomez does not wish he and Mogilny were still linemates. They were a successful combination last season when Mogilny led the Devils with 43 goals, many of them coming on Gomez passes. 

Mogilny said he wanted to re-sign with the Devils last summer as an unrestricted free agent, but they would not compete with the Maple Leafs' offer of $22 million over four years, so he packed his bags for Toronto. 

"A lot of people say New Jersey is a bad place to play, a bad area, bad communities, but they just don't know. It was wonderful and I really enjoyed it there," Mogilny said. "I want to thank the Devils for the opportunity to play in such a classy environment. I could have chosen a number of teams and I chose Toronto. It's a great city with passionate hockey fans -- just another chapter in the career of Alexander Mogilny. 

"Anyone could have succeeded with the situation in Jersey. They had a great coaching staff and it was nice to leave the rink and walk around without being noticed. But Lou (Lamoriello) made a business decision and I'm fine with that. I'm looking forward to the game, but I'm a Maple Leaf now and my only concern is winning." 
The Devils knew they would miss Mogilny when they chose not to dig deep into their pockets to keep him. They almost certainly did not realize how much they would miss him. 

Gomez has yet to score a goal this season and he has only three assists in 12 games. Aside from the top line of Jason Arnott, Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora, the team has struggled to score goals. The departure of Mogilny has put a lot of pressure on everyone else. 

"We miss him a lot. He was a big part of our team. When you get a guy like that who scores 40 goals and is a good guy in the room, it's tough to replace him. I don't think we have. It's hard to find a player like that," Arnott said. "Every time he stepped onto the ice he was a threat. That took a lot of pressure off us." 
Coach Larry Robinson said he misses Mogilny's offensive impact and his contributions off the ice. 

"Who wouldn't still like to have him? He's a great hockey player. But life goes on," Robinson said. "The reason free agency was created was to give the player the power to go where he wants to go." 

The fact that Mogilny signed with the Maple Leafs was a double blow to the Devils, who may wind up facing Toronto in the playoffs for a third straight year. 
"The year-plus he was here he did a lot of good things for us. But (free agency) is part of the business. It happens all the time," said Bobby Holik, who may find himself in a similar situation. "Ironically he went to one of our biggest rivals in the East. I'm sure if the Devils made the same offer he'd have considered it." 

The impact on Gomez cannot be understated. So far the Devils have been unable to find another winger who brings the same chemistry. 

"It was a good experience playing with him. We really jelled together. He's a great goal-scorer. It was a good mix," Gomez said. "The guy was so good at getting open. And he was a great teammate. 

"You always hear so much about how he's quiet. When he was here he was really a team guy, always joking around. He's a fun guy." 
The loss of Mogilny has been no joking matter for the Devils. 

"He's a guy you have to watch. He has that stick up in the air. He wants the puck all the time to shoot," goalie Martin Brodeur said. "Big things are expected from him. He was brought in to score goals, but Alex is Alex. You won't see him for a couple of games, then he'll get a hat trick. You think he's sleeping, but he's not. He's the type of guy who can win games by himself." 

The type of guy the Devils miss dearly.