Dana Wakiji: NHL insider

Phil Kessel's Leafs debut was worth waiting for

They still have just one win in 13 games, but the Maple Leafs are a different team than the one that started the season.

First, they got a lift when rookie goaltender Jonas Gustavsson (groin) returned to lead the team to a victory at Anaheim on Oct. 26.

Then, on Tuesday, fans finally got to see the player the Maple Leafs acquired from the Bruins for two No. 1 picks -- Phil Kessel.

Kessel, 22, missed the first 13 games after shoulder surgery during the offseason.

He didn't score in 23 minutes, 50 seconds of ice time, but he did pepper Tampa Bay goaltender Antero Niittymaki with 10 shots, four more than any other player.

"I had a ton of chances, let me tell you," Kessel told NHL.com. "I've got to find some way to get some of those to go in. First game, got to get better.

"My job on this team is to score goals, and I've got to start doing that."

Kessel also won both faceoffs he took.

He also set aside some fears about his surgically-repaired shoulder when he got up after a huge open-ice hit from Mattias Ohlund.

"I don't remember (ever) getting hit like that," Kessel said. "I put myself in a bad situation to tell you the truth. I shouldn't have done that. Clean hit, he got me good."

In 70 games with the Bruins last season, Kessel had 36 goals and 24 assists and was plus-23. Six goals were winners.

Up and down

While Kessel made his debut with the Maple Leafs, the Bruins were at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday -- struggling.

Boston saw its odd streak of alternating wins and losses come to an end in a shutout loss to Detroit -- the second consecutive game Boston has failed to score.

"We're going to have to decide that we're tired of hearing we had a good effort without winning," Bruins coach Claude Julien said.

The Bruins are fourth in the Northeast with 13 points. They have 33 goals in 14 games.

"(We need to) keep it simple and get pucks and bodies to the net and get a couple of bounces off somebody's leg or something," Bruins center Trent Whitfield said.

"That's what we need right now."

It doesn't help that the Bruins are missing Marc Savard (broken foot) and Milan Lucic (fractured finger). Savard had four goals and three assists in seven games and Lucic had three assists in six games before they were hurt.

Against the Wings, the Bruins hit three posts.

"We've got guys who have scored a number of goals in bunches in this league," Bruins right wing Blake Wheeler said. "But it's not happening."

By the numbers

1 Assists Bruins F Mark Recchi needs to reach 900 for his career

2 Goals Senators F Alexei Kovalev needs to reach 400 for his career

6 Victories Red Wings G Chris Osgood needs to reach 400 for his career

Streakin'

Here's a look at the longest NHL playoff droughts:

Active

History

Dana's top five

• 1. Pittsburgh (2): Continues to dominate on the road (7-0-0). Home is another story (4-3-0).

• 2. San Jose (7): Found a groove, winning five straight; tied with the Penguins and Capitals for most goals (52).

• 3. Colorado (1): G Craig Anderson has started every game, which is why the Avalanche have been winning.

• 4. Washington (5): More than one great player, but must win without that player, Alex Ovechkin (upper body).

• 5. Los Angeles (4): The Sharks have surpassed the Kings in the Pacific, but L.A. is scoring goals and winning.

Dana's bottom five

• 26. Minnesota (27): Nice victories vs. two good opponents -- allowed two goals to Rangers, one to Penguins.

• 27. Anaheim (26): 10 points in 13 games; D James Wisniewski (Canton) is serving a two-game suspension.

• 28. Florida (29): Moving up thanks to two consecutive victories (over Stars and Blues).

• 29. Carolina (28): Lost nine straight and tied with the Predators with the fewest goals (28).

• 30. Toronto (30): Still just one win after 13 games, but perhaps the return of Phil Kessel will change that.

Last week's ranking in parentheses

Game break

There are 99 days until the Olympic break (the Games start Feb. 16, 2010). Here's a look at the preliminary round groups:

• Group A: Canada (2), Norway (11), Switzerland (7), United States (5)

• Group B: Czech Republic (6), Latvia (10), Russia (1), Slovakia (9)

• Group C: Belarus (8), Finland (4), Germany (12), Sweden (3)

* IIHF 2009 world rankings in parentheses

dwakiji@detnews.com (313) 222-2089