TORONTO - Even a big shakeup couldn't wake up the winless Toronto Maple Leafs.
Leafs coach Ron Wilson benched two of his top scorers and started third goalie Joey MacDonald on Tuesday night and ended up with the same kind of result - a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
A familiar face played a big role in the outcome. Former Leaf Darcy Tucker had a goal and an assist in his first game back in Toronto since being bought out in the summer of 2008. He's still being paid US$1 million per year by a Leafs team that looked like they could have used some of his energy on Tuesday.
Brett Clark, David Jones and John-Michael Liles had the other goals for Colorado (4-1-1). Craig Anderson made 30 stops to earn his fourth victory of the season.
Francois Beauchemin replied for the Leafs (0-5-1).
Wilson was so desperate to try and get his 30th-place team going that he sat veteran forwards Matt Stajan and Niklas Hagman, who had accounted for five of the team's 12 goals prior to the game against Colorado. He was trying to make a statement.
"It has to be significant changes," Wilson explained before the game. "Sitting out guys who play on a fourth line who are giving a really good effort makes no sense to me."
None of the changes helped much against the Avalanche, one of the surprise teams so far in this young season.
Toronto gave Colorado two power plays in the opening 10 minutes of the game and Clark capitalized on the second one. His point shot beat MacDonald while the Leafs goalie was being screened by Ian White - his own defenceman.
Jones extended that lead to 2-0 just before the intermission. He made a pretty play on a solo rush to get around Tomas Kaberle before sliding the puck by MacDonald with 50.9 seconds left in the first period.
Falling into an early hole has been a big problem for these Leafs, who have been outscored 10-2 in the opening 20 minutes of games this season.
Beauchemin briefly brought some life back to his team with his first in a Toronto uniform at 3:33 of the second period, but Tucker quickly nullified that by scoring his third goal of the season just over two minutes later. The feisty winger pumped his fists after knocking in a rebound from the top of the crease on a power play.
The real dagger probably came on Colorado's fourth goal as Liles saw his floating shot go off the head of defenceman Mike Komisarek and into the net at 9:36.
There was still half a game to be played but the result was sealed by then.
Disgruntled fans started to boo the Leafs towards the end of the second period and continued throughout a lifeless final 20 minutes. One even started to yell "Let's go Raptors!" as the building emptied early.
Local call-in shows have already been analyzing team's struggles at length, and they will have plenty of time to continue dissecting them. The only game Toronto plays in the next 10 days comes Saturday at home to the New York Rangers.
Notes: The Leafs honoured former captain Ted Kennedy before the game ... Liles missed the third period with an injury to his right shoulder ... Wilson also scratched defenceman Jeff Finger against his former team ... Teenagers Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly each had an assist for the Avalanche ... Leafs goalie James Reimer served as the backup in his first NHL game. He needed to get directions to the Air Canada Centre for the morning skate ... Announced attendance was 19,148.
