Penguins at Maple Leafs
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to extend their point streak to nine games when they visit the improving Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. The Penguins saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end Friday with a 1-0 overtime loss the Los Angeles Kings, but they are 7-0-1 in eight December contests while posting a total of 39 goals in that span.
Pittsburgh is without its top defenseman Kris Letang because of a lower-body injury, and fellow blue liner Trevor Daley left Friday’s contest with an undisclosed ailment. The Maple Leafs have been spinning their wheels during a 1-3-3 stretch after losing 3-2 in a shootout to Arizona on Thursday despite registering 46 shots on goal – the third time this month with at least 40. Rookie Auston Matthews had a goal in the loss to give him eight in the last 10 games and a team-high 14 overall. “We’re forcing a lot of games into shootouts and OT,” Matthews told reporters after the loss. “Those are the kinds of things we have to bear down on and get those extra points.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), CBC (Toronto)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (20-7-4): Pittsburgh continued its assault on goalies with 39 shots on goal Friday, but Peter Budaj turned aside all of them as the Penguins were shut out for just the second time this season. Captain Sidney Crosby saw his nine-game point streak come to an end, but he shares the team lead with Evgeni Malkin at 33 while Phil Kessel boasts 31. Matt Murray got his sixth straight start in goal, allowing nine goals in that stretch, and Marc-Andre Fleury (8-5-3, 3.42 goals-against average) likely will get the start against Toronto
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (11-11-7): Rookie Mitch Marner snapped an 11-game goal drought Thursday and is tied with fellow forward James van Riemsdyk for second on the team with 21 points — two behind Matthews. Goalie Frederik Andersen is a big reason why Toronto is sticking around in the middle of the playoff race while allowing two or fewer goals in 10 of his last 11 outings. “It’s been pretty unlucky for us, but (Andersen) is keeping us strong back there,” Marner told reporters after Thursday’s setback. “We had a couple of tough bounces.”
OVERTIME
1. The Maple Leafs are 0-5 in shootouts this season after failing against Arizona on Thursday.
2. Pittsburgh D Derrick Pouliot, recalled after Letang was injured in the last contest, played 18:19 in his second game of the season Friday.
3. Toronto F William Nylander posted three assists in the last two games and shared the team lead with D Morgan Rielly (14).