Duper - Penguins 3, Maple Leafs 2

So what happened?

I'm late to the party with this review, so let's just say that it was a good win for the Pens.  They fell behind 2-0 and came roaring back to win 3-2.  It was the second line that did all the damage.

Who scored?

Dupuis (16,17), Staal (22)

The Ugly?

• How do you know your defense isn't up to snuff?  When Arron Asham blows past you on a speed move to the outside.  No offense to Arron, but he isn't exactly a speedster.

What's their record now?

The Pens are 40-21-5.  They are all alone in fourth place in the conference, two points ahead of Philly, and six points behind the Rangers.

Who's next?

Friday night the home stand continues against the Panthers.

Game #66 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

2011-12 Game 66

Toronto Maple Leafs (30-29-7, 67 points) at Pittsburgh Penguins (39-21-5, 83 points)

According to his sig, Clarke spells his name "Cl McAthu", which seems like something out of Lovecraft.

Why does it matter?

The Leafs think they still have a shot at the playoffs.  I sure hope they do, because if they make it, it will likely mean that the Southeast division (where the Caps play) will only get one team in the playoffs.  That would be all kinds of awesome.  Desperation has set in for Toronto, and the feel will be similar to the past three games for the Pens.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - The team keeps rolling, and now Sid is close to returning.
• Maple Leafs - What happened in February?  After starting the month with three straight wins, they finished the month with a 1-9-1 run.  Talk about choking... but they've changed their coach, so we'll see if that makes a difference.

Questions to be answered

• Kessel and Lupul?  Forget about them - it's Grabovski and MacArthur the Pens need to watch, as both have had great success against the Pens this year (6 and 5 points respectively).
• Can the Pens stop the trend of being out shot?  You know that has to be killing HCDB, who would rather control the game by keeping the puck in the offensive zone (shots are a decent indicator of that).
• Any chance we see Thiessen or Johnson?  You have to figure the team will want to get Flower some rest as we go down the stretch.

Keys to the game

• Play like it's a road game.  Keep things tight and don't give the playmakers from the Leafs any room to skate.
• Work for your chances.  The power play has been short on chances the past few games.  If the refs aren't blowing the whistles, work harder and force them to do it.
• Shut down their power play - the Leafs scored twice last night against the Bruins with the man-advantage.

Tight - Maple Leafs 1, Penguins 0

So what happened?

We saw the other extreme of hockey last night, as neither team was able to register more than 25 shots, and and neither goalie had to make any amazing saves.  Neither team could score on the power play, either.  No one could even get any sustained offense going.

The difference was one mistake by the Pens, not picking up Clarke MacArthur coming off of the bench from a line change.  He came down the right side unattended.  The Leafs got him the puck and he cut to the middle and beat Johnson, who had sold out to protect the short side.

There were a few miscues with the Johnson play:
Not marking him when he came off of the bench
Allowing him to cut to the middle when he had the puck - that shouldn't happen
Johnson overplaying and thus being totally unprepared for his cutback

Aside from that, the defense was fine.  The offense just wasn't there.

At least the Pens have a few days to work on it before their busy weekend.

Who scored?

No one.

The Good?

• Keeping the Leafs in check offensively.  Things never got to be what you'd consider to be wide-open hockey.

The Bad?

• Not establishing any kind of offensive rhythm.  They were never able to get to their game.

The Ugly?

• Letang was high-sticked in the face (not called) and twice has his legs kicked out from under him (not called).  He was ticked, as was (I think) every Pens fan that was watching.

Any Surprises?

• Geno and company getting shut down, essentially, by the Leafs was surprising.

What's their record now?

The Pens are 29-18-4.

Who's next?

Weekend back-to-back, both in the afternoon.  Get used to this - the Pens play back-to-backs every weekend in February, with seven of the eight games being in the afternoon.

Game #51 - at Toronto Maple Leafs

2011-12 Game 51

Pittsburgh Penguins (29-17-4, 62 points) at Toronto Maple Leafs (25-19-6, 56 points)

With two goals in the previous game, Grabovski is moving dangerously close to "Penguin Killer" territory.

Why does it matter?

Another game against one of the top 9 in the East.  The Pens will be looking to show that their slow start in the previous game was a fluke.  The Leafs will be looking to show that the ending was one.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - Eight wins in a row, but you can't count on the third period comebacks very often at all.
• Leafs - I wouldn't call it a crushing meltdown, but to have a three goal lead in the third and blow it has to be disappointing.

Questions to be answered

• How will both teams respond to start the game?  Will we see a fast start?  Will we see an attempt to play physically?
• Will anyone show tired legs?  The Leafs had three D at or over 27 minutes.  That's a pretty heavy load.
• Can Geno's line shore things up?  Despite scoring the tying goal, Malkin's line was a -2.  That means they were on the ice for all three even-strength goals against last game.

Keys to the game

• Get to the power play.  The Pens earned just one power play chance last game.  The refs won't hand it to you - you have to keep the legs driving and out work the opponent to get there.
• Be ready early.  The Air Canada Centre will be rocking, even more so if the Leafs get a lead.
• Huge in net.  The Pens will need a top notch performance from whoever is between the pipes with the way the Leafs can fire the puck.

Penguins 5, Maple Leafs 4 (SO)

So what happened?

I missed this game, so this is the purely statistical review.

Looks like the Pens got behind the eight ball early (they were out shot 27-17 through the first two periods) and were almost finished off early in the third when the Leafs scored twice just 19 seconds apart to take a 4-1 lead.

The Pens roared back with three unanswered goals, the last on a deflection by Malkin with just 7 seconds remaining in regulation.

The game went to a shootout, where per recent trends, Geno was the deciding factor.  He notched the only shootout goal, giving the Pens the two points.

Flower was the #1 star, so I'm guessing he held the fort and gave the Pens a chance to tie the game.  Any time you face 14 shots in a period and don't allow anything (as he did in the first), you're doing something right.

Who scored?

Cooke (8), Sullivan (10), Vitale (3), Malkin (27)

The Good?

• A nice comeback at home.
• Geno and Flower in the shootout.

The Bad?

• Getting down 2-0 and then 4-1.
• Getting out shot 14-6 in the first period.  A bit rusty, maybe?  Not quite ready for the start of the game?

What's their record now?

The Pens are 29-17-4.

Who's next?

A quick trip to Toronto for the second half of the back-to-back tomorrow night.

Game #50 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

2011-12 Game 50

Toronto Maple Leafs (25-19-5, 55 points) at Pittsburgh Penguins (28-17-4, 60 points)

I thought Lupul did a great job at the Fantasy Draft while getting booed by the Ottawa fans.

Why does it matter?

If the playoffs started today, the Leafs would be on the outside looking in.  That makes them a desperate team. This is the front end of a home-and-home on consecutive nights with the Leafs, so it'll have the feel of a mini playoff series.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - Seven wins in a row.  Here's hoping the All-Star break didn't kill the momentum.
• Leafs - Three wins in four games, but two of those were over the Islanders.

Questions to be answered

• Will we see the same team from a week ago?  The one that was playing at a high level and competing with anyone?
• Any chance of seeing Brent Johnson today or tomorrow?  The Pens have another back-to-back this weekend, so you'd have to figure we'll see him sometime soon.

Keys to the game

• Get to the power play.  This will be tough.  For the month of January, the Leafs have allowed more than two power plays in a game just twice.  They weren't whistled for a minor infraction at all in their wins against the Isles.
• Start strong.  Get back into the habit with some hard skating work.
• Stick to the basics - dump the puck, dig it out and go to work in the offensive zone.  Stay away from the cute stuff until the legs come back.

Unsustainable - Maple Leafs 4, Penguins 3

So what happened?

The Leafs scored first, and that was essentially the death knell.  Every time the Pens tied the score, the Leafs scored again to retake the lead (twice they did it inside of two minutes later).  The inability to hold the momentum after scoring was the most disappointing thing from the game.

The Pens also missed Jordan Staal, as their penalty kill allowed goals on both of the chances against them (both on penalties against Geno, both probably preventable).

This may wind up working in the Pens' favor in the long run.  The Pens' schedule is very light over the next two weeks, and this will leave a bad taste in their mouths.  HCDB should be able to get some mileage out of this in practice.

Who scored?

Cooke (4), Kunitz (4), Malkin (2)

The Good?

• Two more goals on the power play, including a laser beam from Geno that was assisted by a great screen from Kunitz.  I sure wouldn't stand in there if I saw Geno winding up...
• Malkin seems to be out of the woods as far as his knee is concerned.  This was his third straight game, and he led all forwards in ice time.
• The hockey action itself was very entertaining.  The Leafs certainly like to go up and down the ice, and the Pens don't seem to mind that style either.

The Bad?

• The PK was about as bad as they could be.  Two chances to kill, two goals against.  At least the Pens didn't take many penalties, or this could have been a blowout.

The Ugly?

• I'm going with the PK again - they were bad AND ugly.

Any Surprises?

• I was mildly surprised to see Brent Johnson.  Probably not a bad idea to get him some work, but with how well Flower had been playing, it was still a bit surprising.

What's their record now?

The Pens are 8-3-2.

Who's next?

Another West Coast trip, but not until later in the week, on Thursday, in San Jose.

Game #13 - at Toronto Maple Leafs

2011-12 Game 13

Pittsburgh Penguins (8-2-2, 18 points) at Toronto Maple Leafs (6-2-1, 13 points)

Would you pay $260 for this card?  Me either... but someone did.

Why does it matter?

Would you believe this is a game that features two of the top three teams in the East, along with the top two goal scorers (Neal and Kessel)?  If you told me that before the season started, I might have looked at you like you were crazy.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - Now up to five straight wins, the Pens just need to stay focused on playing their game.
• Maple Leafs - While the record is good, the peripheral numbers suggest a different story - they are in the lower half of the league in goals allowed per game, the power play and the penalty kill.  They're winning by out scoring teams and winning lots of one-goal games.  That isn't sustainable if they don't improve some of the other numbers.

Questions to be answered

• Will this be the night the Leafs get their first home loss in regulation?
• Will Geno play in his third straight game for the first time this season?  If he does, is he back for good?
• Can the PK keep up their amazing success rate?  History says they're due for a letdown sooner or later.

Keys to the game

• Win at 5-on-5.  This was a weakness for the Pens early in the season, but the Leafs special teams aren't very good.  Most of their damage is coming at even strength.  The Pens will need to be focused there.
• Stay out of the box.  They Leafs have been inconsistent on the power play, but the do have several multi-goal games.  Don't let them get that going on a Saturday night at home.
• Control Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul - they're the main factors driving the success of the Leafs right now.

Maple Leafs 3, Penguins 2 (OT)

So what happened?

The Pens were burned by a bad deflection off of a partition when Kris Letang tried to clear the puck in the third period. It led directly to the tying goal for the Leafs.

Overall it was a strong road effort by the Pens. They couldn't get quite enough pucks past Reimer to make this a rout, but the complimentary numbers were there. The zone time and shot attempts were there (and also tied to that, the Leafs only managed 10 shots on net through the first two periods.

This is one to chalk up to bad luck and move on.

Who scored?

Niskanen (1), Conner (7)

The Good?

• Dion Phaneuf made the play on the OT goal, taking the puck from behind his own net, blowing past Neal and Staal, carrying the puck deep into the offensive zone and helping the team establish position on the winning possession. I didn't think Phaneuf had it in him.
• Good pressure on the power play, but not enough chances, and not enough shots on net.
• Chris Conner made a great effort play to beat Phaneuf on a stretch pass, protect the puck, and shuffle it through the five-hole on Reimer.
• Matt Niskanen had his best game as a Penguin so far. He showed confidence and an eye for offense, especially breaking the puck out of his own end, while being solid defensively. The Pens may have a good player on their hands.
• The PK stepped up. The Leafs only managed six shots combined on their five power play chances.

The Bad?

• Too many penalties. I know the trip called on Lovejoy late saved a scoring chance, but MacArthur should not have been able to gain the lead position with three minutes left in the game.
• Kris Letang... -3... ugh.

The Ugly?

• Neal and Kovalev both played just four shifts with less than four minutes of ice time apiece in the third period. I know the late penalty had something to do with it, but what gives? Playing for OT maybe?

Any Surprises?

• Not at all related to the game, but Sid is still tied for fourth in goals in the NHL... despite missing 24 games. That's astounding.

What's their record now? Any important move in the standings?

The Pens are now 37-21-7.

Who's next?

A day of rest and then back-to-back games against Jersey and Boston to wrap up the road trip.

Game #65 - at Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 65

Penguins (37-21-6, 80 points) at Maple Leafs (27-27-9, 63 points)

Why does it matter?
Practice makes perfect, and the Pens will get a chance to show what they've learned with another game in Toronto against a team that is playing well.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - Somehow the Pens found the back of the net five times (plus one in the shootout) against the Leafs last weekend.
• Maple Leafs - Despite two losses in a row, the Leafs have earned at least a point in 12 of their last 14 games (all in February).

Questions to be answered

• Who will sit with the return of Kennedy and Martin to the lineup? The defense part is easy - Brian Strait has not been recalled (as of this writing). Up front? My guess is Chris Conner.
• Will the penalty kill get it's act together? They've allowed goals in four straight and killed just 12 out of 17 chances over that stretch (not good).
• Can the Pens keep the offense going? I'm not hoping for another 6-spot, but getting three or four behind Reimer would be ideal.

Keys to the game

• Repeat after me: no more dumb penalties. Stay out of the box!
• Pick on Kessel. Yeah, he can skate and score, but his numbers would make you think he spends too much time poaching up ice and not enough time in his own end. He's a -21 on the season.
• Keep getting traffic in front of Reimer. The Pens did a good job with this on Saturday.

Penguins 6, Maple Leafs 5 (OT - SO - 1-0)

So what happened?

A great win for the Pens in one of the most exciting games of the year so far. This was an old-fashioned shootout, with pucks flying past the goalies with frightening regularity. It is a credit to the Pens that they found a way to come out on top.

The Pens had just one lead in regulation, at 3-2. They were playing catch-up hockey for much of the rest of the night, and they never gave up. The drive and the legs were there all night long.

Give credit to the Leafs, who played a good game. They probably could have become more conservative once they had the lead in the third period, but where would be the excitement in that? Of course, the same could be said of the Pens, who had the lead going into the third.

You have to admire the work ethic brought by the Pens after playing on Friday night against the Canes.

Who scored?

Kovalev (15), Letestu (11), Jeffrey (5), Talbot (7), Rupp (6)

The Good?

• You could see the difference in having a player like Mark Letestu back on the ice. He really has that offensive instinct and ability to keep plays alive.
• Kovalev was great on the shootout. He saw Reimer stay deep in the net with Letang, so he was ready to blast the puck past him when Reimer tried the same thing. That's called veteran awareness, combined with the skill to make it happen.
• Max Talbot had a HUGE short handed goal to tie the game at 4-4.
• Mike Rupp made a tremendous effort in sticking with the play on the goal that tied the score at 5-5.
• Kris Letang with nearly 33 minutes of ice time, and he was flying in the OT.
• James Neal had himself in the right place at the right time again tonight but just couldn't finish. He'll get there.

The Bad?

• Fleury's play, while making some key saves, was inconsistent. It was that kind of night, however. Reimer was worse, allowing all kinds of rebounds.
• Too many penalties. Again. This time the PK allowed two goals.

The Ugly?

• Despite the goal by Kovalev, the Staal, Neal, Kovy line was a -2. That means they were on the ice for three goals against at even-strength. Ouch.

Any Surprises?

• The news that had Tyler Kennedy not missed the game, Max Talbot would have been scratched. HCDB must really like what Joe Vitale brings, especially in the faceoff circle.

What's their record now? Any important move in the standings?

The Pens are now 37-21-6. They are four points ahead of Washington for the #4 spot in the East. Somehow, they're 4th overall in points in the NHL.

Who's next?

A few days off and then it's a replay of this one, on Wednesday night in Toronto.

Game #64 - at Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 64

Penguins (36-21-6, 78 points) at Maple Leafs (27-27-7, 61 points)

Why does it matter?
The Leafs are hot right now, with an 8-2-2 record in their past 12 games. They have dreams of making the playoffs. They also have a hot goalie. This will be another good test for the Pens, who badly need two points.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - The lunch pails and hard hats keep showing up, but the payoff at the end just isn't there right now.
• Maple Leafs - Hot play recently has them back to .500 hockey for the first time since November 6th.

Questions to be answered

• Will the effort level be maintained given the short turnaround from the game last night? It needs to be, because the way the Leafs are playing right now, they'll blow the Pens out of the building.
• Who will sit with the probable return of Mark Letestu? I'm guessing Vitale, which is unfortunate, because I like what I've seen from him so far.
• Which power play will shot up for the Leafs? One that was 5-10 in two of their previous eight games, or the one that was 0-26 in the other six games?

Keys to the game

• Get to the power play. The Leafs PK has been porous all season long. Some extended time with the man-advantage would give us a chance to see what Kovy can do.
• Use the (relative) depth at center and roll four lines all night. With Letestu back, the Pens will have four solid guys down the middle.
• Crash the net and get bodies in front of Reimer.

Penguins 5, Maple Leafs 2

So what happened?

The Pens jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two periods and almost let the Leafs crawl back into the game. Even in victory, the third period was very disappointing. There was some sloppy play with the puck and an ill-timed penalty taken by Matt Cooke. Fortunately the PK was able to kill it off, because the Leafs would have cut the lead to one if they had scored on that third period power play.

The Leafs effort in the third should not have been a surprise to the Pens. You know the coaches were telling them after the second period that the Leafs have two straight third period comebacks. Hopefully this will serve as a painless wake-up call.

At any rate, the Pens were firing on all cylinders for the first two periods and managed to get the two points, and that's all that matters.

Who scored?

Crosby 2 (25,26), Dupuis (7), Letestu 2 (5,6)

The Good?

• Grabovski was impressive for the Leafs. He showed some spirit and had a nasty wrist shot to score Toronto's second goal.
• Sid nearly had the hat trick. He just couldn't get his stick on a puck that he had put behind the Monster.
• Dan Bylsma is psychic. He sensed trouble early in the third and had the foresight to put Godard out there with Crosby and Kunitz. When Rosehill tried to take some liberties, Godard was able to step in and handle the heavy lifting. He took a game misconduct in doing so, but there was no more nonsense.

The Bad?

• The Pens were out shot 15-2 in the third period. That's both bad and ugly.
• Special teams didn't fare any better tonight. The PK let one in and the power play failed to score.

The Ugly?

• Rosehill's gash on the forehead that was opened by Eric Godard, seemingly after Rosehill was on the ice. That isn't something you ever want to see, but you can't feel too bad for Rosehill - he hit both Sid and Paul Martin on that shift in a questionable manner.

Any Surprises?

• Letestu with the first two-goal game of his NHL career! I hope he gets back in the scoring knack - his line has been generating offense for a few games now.

What's their record now? Any important move in the standings?

The Pens are now 20-8-2. They have a three point lead on the rest of the NHL and have an NHL-best +27 goal differential. This is really amazing to watch right now. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Who's next?

A trip to Buffalo on Saturday night.

Game #30 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 30

Maple Leafs (10-12-4, 24 points) at Penguins (19-8-2, 40 points)

Why does it matter?
The Leafs are a tough match up for the Pens, due both to their history in Pittsburgh, as well as their recent play.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - 13-1-1 in their past 15 games. Sid just keeps going at a clip of just over two points per game.
• Maple Leafs - They had a great third period rally against the Caps on Monday night.

Questions to be answered

• Will the Pens be ready? The Leafs won't quit, especially considering their rally on Monday and their victory over the Pens earlier this season.
• Can the Pens clean up the PK, which has been on the leaky side the past three games?
• Will Geno play?

Keys to the game

• The Leafs don't take many penalties, so dig in an earn the calls by keeping the legs going.
• Take advantage of the chances you do get with the man-advantage.
• Dictate the pace. The Leafs have been all over the board recently as far as shots taken / shots allowed. They seem to be susceptible to a strong team imposing their will (tell that to Washington, eh?)

Maple Leafs 4, Penguins 3

I didn't see anything except the last three minutes of the game for this one, so I'm not really qualified to say anything about it.

Nice to see goals from Talbot and Kunitz.

Not nice to see Fleury hung out to try by defensive letdowns (on at least two of those goals against).

The obsessive completist in me forced this post... (obsessive and completist are redundant, but you get my point).

Next up: A trip to Long Island for a Friday night game

Game #4 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 4

Maple Leafs (2-0-0, 4 points) at Penguins (1-2-0, 2 points)

Why does it matter?
The Pens need a win at Consol. They don't want to open their new building with three straight losses.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - They finally put together a complete game at New Jersey, but it may have cost them Zybanek Michalek.
• Maple Leafs - They held on against the Habs and killed the Senators at home last week. Now it's time to see if these kids are for real.

Questions to be answered

• Can the balanced scoring continue for both clubs (Tim Brent, former Penguins farmhand, is tied for team lead for the Leafs)? You know that Sid and Geno will get going, but can the other guys continue to contribute?
• Can we please stop talking about a goalie controversy? There isn't on. Fleury let in one soft goal but has been good otherwise.
• The Leafs haven't allowed a power play goal this year. Can the Pens ruin their perfection?

Keys to the game

• Win the battle at even strength. All of the goals in the Leafs two games except one have been at even strength.
• Find a way to get to Giguere, who has played very well so far.
• Get Sid and Geno going. The Pens need the big guns, and those guys (especially Malkin, coming off of a sub-par year) need the boost of confidence.

Penguins acquire LW Alexei Ponikarovsky

Yeah, this is about 36 hours late, but it's going up here for posterity.

The Pens sent Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula to the Leafs for Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Ponikarovsky (typing that name is going to get old quickly) will jump into a top 6 forward spot immediately, given that he's been a consistent goal scorer for several years now. My guess is that he'll play the left side with Geno, but someone will have to play the right side on that line. Dupuis has been scoring this year, so I guess that makes him the most likely candidate.

Ponikarovsky will also shoot the puck more than some of the Pens other forwards (like Dupuis and Fedotenko).

I'm not too disappointed to see Caputi leave. He wasn't a top grade prospect (or he wouldn't have been included in a deal for a 20 goal scoring rental player). Skoula was simply the odd man out on the blue line and any little bit of cap space was helpful to Ray Shero.

The real question now is who will sit from this group of forwards, assuming no one is hurt. My guess is Mike Rupp or, if he's not playing well, Fedotenko (though we know Bylsma likes Fedotenko, so that may be less likely as the playoffs near). Any way you look at it, the flexibility is a nice thing to have, assuming it doesn't cause problems in the locker room.

Penguins 4, Maple Leafs 1

So what happened?
The Pens held a two goal lead going into the third and Marc-Andre Fleury did the rest, stopping 22 shots during the third period. Fleury was really good for this one, showing no effects from getting yanked against Philly. The defense was good early too, blocking several shots during the first two periods.

Who scored?
Guerin (14), Gonchar (6,7), Crosby (27)

Any surprises?
The defense stepped up big time, something we haven't seen in a while. Gonchar was in his first game back and Orpik left early in the first with an injury. The other four guys all played over 20 minutes and all played well for the most part.

Any change in the standings?

Division: 2nd (six points behind New Jersey)

Conference: 4th (three points behind Washington)

League: 6th (tied with Calgary and Phoenix)

Who's next?
Off to Homer Land in Minnesota. It's a Versus game, so those of you with DirecTv (like me) will be out of luck.

Notes:

• The Leafs are tough - if not for Fleury, this would have been a completely different game.
  
• It was really entertaining to watch - lots of end-to-end action.
• Crosby had a highlight reel goal - if you didn't see it, make sure you catch the replay online.

Game #46 - at Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 46

Penguins (27-17-1, 55 points) at Maple Leafs (15-21-9, 39 points)

Why does it matter?
The Leafs simply aren't very good. The Pens need a win. Let's follow the KISS principle.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - The low point of the season so far was the loss to Philly on Thursday.
  
• Maple Leafs - Since beating the Pens on December 27th, this team is just 1-4.

Questions to be answered

• Which goalie will we see? I'd say we're likely to see Gustavsson (The Monster) for the first time, but there's no rhyme or reason to who is starting right now for the Leafs.
• Will the intensity be there? It was there for a bit on Thursday, but it seems to come and go.
  
• I'm still looking for a shut out from a Pens goalie. Can they get one? (this question is staying here until they do)
  

Keys to the game

• Get on the power play! The Leafs have allowed a power play goal in seven straight, including 6 in the past two games alone!
  
• Stay patient - the Leafs are a pain to play against. Don't get frustrated.
  
• Get the lead, please.

Maple Leafs 4, Penguins 3

So what happened?

8-2 over the Sens is a distant memory. Tonight the Pens came crashing down the earth with a sobering loss to the Leafs. The Pens weren't ready to go from the start, managing only four shots in the first period. They were playing from behind all night, and when they managed to tie it late in the third, the Leafs were ready with the coup de grace on a blast by Ian White.

Who scored?
Cooke (10), Crosby (23), Rupp (10)

Any surprises?
Just a cumulative one - if you told anyone before the season that Rupp would score 10 goals, you would have been happy with that. He has 10 before game #40.

Any change in the standings?
The Caps have leaped over Jersey and Chicago is playing well, so...

Division: 1st (tied with New Jersey)

Conference: 2nd (one point behind Washington)

League: 3rd (one point behind Washington)

Who's next?
A four game road trip begins Tuesday night in Buffalo, followed by Jersey the next night. Buckle up.

Notes:

• It was a curious decision to put Sid, Geno and Rupp out there after scoring the tying goal. You have to trust your superstars, but at that point you'd love just to get to OT and try to win it there.
  
• The Pens dominated the faceoffs, 36-22. Normally that would translate into some good time in the offensive zone, but it only worked that way a few times tonight.
• Fleury made several great saves in the third, but he probably would like a few back. Fleury is great overall, but he hasn't been able to get the shut out. Makes me wonder about goalies in general...