Maple Leafs at Penguins
Frederik Andersen put his disastrous first month of the season behind him and has been steady in the face of a storm that occasionally sees him encountering over 40 shots on goal. Andersen aims to keep rolling along on Saturday as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"It's just a really important thing to stay present and for me it's what I'm trying to do, to keep the focus from game to game," Andersen told TSN on Friday. "That's the best approach I've had lately. I've touched on it before but tracking well, being aggressive on the puck is something I've been doing well lately." The 28-year-old Dane improved to 4-0-1 this season when facing 40 or more shots on goal after turning aside a season-high 47 in a 2-1 shootout win against Calgary on Wednesday. While Toronto has won four of its last six, Pittsburgh has done it one better by answering a three-game skid with victories in five of its last six following a 4-3 overtime triumph over the New York Islanders on Thursday. Former Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, who leads the Penguins with 14 goals, has scored in each of his last three games and has recorded at least one point in 23 of 30 contests this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, CBC (Toronto), AT&TSN-Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (18-10-1): Nazem Kadri relishes his role as a shutdown defender, and he'll have his chance to give credence to that claim against two-time Hart Trophy winner Crosby on Saturday and the current keeper of the title, Connor McDavid, and the Edmonton Oilers the following day. "I love it. Personally for me, it’s fun," the 27-year-old told TSN. "Those guys push you to bring out your best because if you don't, they'll make you look bad. As a team, especially heading into a city like Pittsburgh, knowing what they've done the last few years, we're going to have to be ready." Defenseman Morgan Rielly, who scored versus the Flames, will be ready after sitting out Friday's practice with a maintenance day, coach Mike Babcock said.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (16-11-3): Defenseman Kris Letang scored and set up a goal versus the Islanders to increase his point total to eight (one goal, seven assists) in his past eight games. Letang's point shot in the first period was deflected by Jake Guentzel, who netted his 13th goal of the season and continued Pittsburgh's success on the power play. The Penguins, who have converted an NHL third-ranked 27.0 percent of their chances with the man advantage, have at least one power-play goal in seven of their last eight contests.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh is 5-0-1 against Toronto in the last six encounters at PPG Paints Arena.
2. Maple Leafs LW Patrick Marleau is one point shy of 1,100 for his career.
3. The Penguins have thwarted 24 of their last 26 short-handed situations over the last seven games.