Penguins at Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have answered a four-game winning streak with back-to-back three-goal losses to remain on the cusp of clinching their first postseason berth in four seasons. Rookie Auston Matthews and company look to punch their ticket against a club that has qualified for the NHL's second season in 11 straight years on Saturday when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"It doesn't matter what Pittsburgh does, we've got to get ourselves right to play and play like we normally do and don't let the excitement of the moment or the energy of the moment or what we're trying to do get in the way of who we are," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said on the heels of Thursday's 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay, which left his team needing to win one of its final two games to reach the playoffs. The Maple Leafs, who reside one point ahead of the Lightning and three ahead of the New York Islanders, have mustered just two goals in their last six periods for the first time since Feb. 9-11 and likely will need to turn it up a notch against the league's top-ranked offense. Superstar Sidney Crosby had a pair of assists for the second straight game as Pittsburgh won its fourth in a row and clinched home-ice advantage its first-round series with Columbus following Thursday's 7-4 victory over New Jersey. "He just sees the game on another level. We marvel at what he does on a nightly basis," coach Mike Sullivan said of Crosby (NHL-leading 43 goals), who also had two points (one goal, one assist) in a 4-1 victory over Toronto on Nov. 12.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, ROOT (Pittsburgh), CBC (Toronto), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (50-19-11): Rookie Jake Guentzel has scored a goal during each contest of Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak and added an assist in the last two to increase his point total to 19 (nine goals, 10 assists) in his past 17 outings. Fellow forward Bryan Rust has three tallies in his last five contests and scored and set up a goal in the first meeting with Toronto. Evgeni Malkin found the net in both outings against the Maple Leafs this season, but the team continues to be cautious with the former Hart Trophy winner as he nurses his way back to health following a shoulder injury.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (39-26-15): Nazem Kadri is one of four skaters that has been on the ice in Toronto's last playoff game in 2013 and his recent play suggests he'd like to make a return trip to the postseason. The 26-year-old scored his 32nd goal of the season on Thursday to increase his point total to 10 (four goals, six assists) in his last 10 games. Matthews (team-leading 39 goals, 67 points) has been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back contests following a nine-game point streak while fellow rookie Mitch Marner (club-best 42 assists) saw his four-game point streak halted on Thursday.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh RW Phil Kessel has set up three goals in his last four games, but has been held off the scoresheet in each contest this season versus his former team.
2. Toronto C Tyler Bozak is riding a three-game assist streak.
3. Penguins rookie G Matt Murray, who is 10-2-1 in his last 13 outings, has stopped 41 of 42 shots against the Maple Leafs this season.