The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs square off on Hockey Night in Canada. A game that many had circled on their calendar because Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews would be going head-to-head. Entering the game, the Penguins were one of the worst teams defensively in the NHL, whereas the Maple Leafs were one of the best offensive teams. It is a clash that should have Toronto beating Pittsburgh relatively easily, however, that wasn’t the case.
For the Maple Leafs, they welcomed Max Pacioretty back into their lineup and placed Jake McCabe on the injury reserve (IR). The Penguins started the struggling Tristan Jarry in hopes that he can finally turn this season around and go on a run.
Game Recap
1st Period
The first period started out with a ton of intensity. Both teams wanted to make their impression on the game early, which the Penguins did less than five minutes into the period. Richard Rakell scored his 11th goal of the season on a power play by deflecting a Matt Gryzlcyk shot from the point. A little over two minutes after Pittsburgh made it 1-0, Mitch Marner scored his 10th from the seat of his pants to tie it at one. At the 14:15 mark, Bryan Rust scored his 9th of the season on a pass from Crosby. That assist from Crosby moved him past Gordie Howe for the 5th most assists of all time.
The first period ended, with the Penguins up 2-1. The Maple Leafs carried the bulk of the play, but Jarry stood tall and helped give his team an early lead.
2nd Period
The second period started with the same intensity as the first. For the Maple Leafs, they were hungry to tie the game, but for the Penguins, they were trying to stop Toronto from taking over the game. Unfortunately, after a Kris Letang penalty that left him frustrated, William Nylander found his way onto the scoresheet with his 11th of the season to tie it at two. The rest of the period had a bit more physicality, with some more net front scrums. However, both teams played well defensively to keep it tied for the rest of the second.
3rd Period
The third period started like the rest of them, with a lot of intensity as both teams tried to get the upper hand. For the Penguins, they were able to find the back of the net on the stick of former Maple Leaf Michael Bunting. The Maple Leafs spent the next 10-plus minutes battling to try and tie the game at three. However, at the five-minute mark they only had five shots in the period.
Related: Do Matthews & Marner Have Too Much Chemistry to Split Up?
At the TV timeout with 4:28 left in the third, the Maple Leafs loaded it up with Auston Matthews, Marner, and Nylander taking another shift together to try and tie the game. It led to a breakaway from Evgeni Malkin, who missed but pushed the puck out from in front of the net to Drew O’Connor, who had a wide-open net, but Joseph Woll got across and robbed him with the glove. At 2:13, Rust took a high-sticking penalty, giving the Maple Leafs two minutes to try and tie it. Toronto sent Woll to the bench to give them a six-on-four advantage, and after a puck battle down in the Penguins zone, Blake Lizotte sent the puck down into the empty cage to give his club a 4-2 lead. A few seconds later, Letang sent the puck out of the zone after Woll went back to the bench, and it trickled in, which sealed the deal and gave Pittsburgh a 5-2 win over Toronto.
This win gave the Penguins their fifth win in their last six. As for the Maple Leafs, it ends Woll’s six-game winning streak and hands them their first back-to-back losses in their last 18 games.
