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March 3, 2003
TORONTO (AP) -- Stephen Weiss had plenty of family and friends in the crowd, and he didn't let them down.
The Toronto native had a goal and an assist, and Roberto Luongo just missed a shutout as the Florida Panthers beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night.
``It hasn't sunk in yet. I think it will sink in a little later,'' said Weiss, who got tickets for 13 relatives and friends. ``It's huge just to get a goal. It's been a bit of a struggle lately. It's nice to get one and have it be a winner, especially here in Toronto.''
Ivan Novoseltsev also scored for the Panthers, who ended a four-game winless streak.
Toronto's Alexander Mogilny spoiled Luongo's shutout bid with just 45 seconds left. Luongo made 31 saves.
``It's unfortunate, but getting two points is what matters,'' Luongo said.
Novoseltsev's wrist shot from the side of the net went over goalie Trevor Kidd's glove, giving Florida a 1-0 lead 1:55 into the game. Weiss made a nice drop pass to Novoseltsev, who had a good look at the net.
``He loves playing in Toronto,'' Florida coach Mike Keenan said of Weiss. ``He really gets up for the games. It's nice to see him play like that. Hopefully, he'll garner some confidence from it.''
Weiss made it 2-0 with 4:22 to play with his sixth goal of the season, after Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle turned over the puck at the blue line.
The Maple Leafs, who went 0-for-6 on the power play, have lost three of their last five games. Toronto had a two-man advantage late in the first period but still couldn't get a shot on net.
Luongo made a nice pad save on Mogilny's wrist shot early in the first period and later made an impressive glove save on Jonas Hoglund's slap shot.
Toronto went 0-for-4 on the power-play in the first period, and many shots missed the net.
``We had a lot of chances, but we didn't have that edge,'' Toronto captain Mats Sundin said. ``Sometimes it's not there. Guys just weren't sharp.''
Kidd, playing his 15th game this season, made 30 saves. Notes Sundin doesn't have a point in his last three games. He needs two points to reach 1,000 for his NHL career. ... The Panthers went 2-1-1 againstthe Maple Leafs this season. ... Florida had lost its previous three games.
Updated on Monday, Mar 3, 2003 10:52 pm, EST
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