The Toronto Maple Leafs aim to snap a three-game losing streak Tuesday when they return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins and their new franchise scoring leader Sidney Crosby.
The Maple Leafs lost 5-1 to the Dallas Stars on Sunday to finish 0-3-0 on a just-completed road trip, while being outscored 14-4.
Toronto has lost five of six (1-4-1), but coach Craig Berube saw some good signs Sunday when the score did not reflect how close the game was contested. Dallas led 1-0 entering the third period and it was still 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining.
“Through two periods, I really liked our game,” Berube said. “Lots of chances and opportunities. It’s not going in right now. Eventually it wears on you throughout the game. Third period they got that third goal and it set us back pretty good. … I thought we defended extremely well.”
The Penguins snapped an eight-game losing streak (0-4-4) on Sunday with a 4-3 home shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens.
The game had special meaning for the Penguins and Crosby, who had a goal and an assist to reach eighth in all-time NHL points with 1,724 (645 goals, 1,079 assists) over 1,387 games.
Crosby became the franchise points leader, passing Mario Lemieux whose 1,723 points (690 goals, 1,033 assists) came in 915 games.
“It’s kind of mixed emotions, I guess,” Crosby said. “Because that number (has) been kind of hanging around, the hockey gods made me earn it, I feel like, the last few games. But just to get the win, to get a win in a shootout, it all kind of lined up well.”
Said Penguins coach Dan Muse: “It was incredible. You’re watching history. You’re seeing it firsthand. I mean, it’s something you knew was coming, but just for everybody that was here today, everybody involved, it was incredible. For Sid, it’s just, yeah, he’s obviously such a humble person.”
Crosby’s goal, to tie him with Lemieux in points, was his 20th of the season. It is the 18th time in 21 seasons he has reached the 20-goal plateau.
The timing was good for Crosby’s big night. It was Pittsburgh’s first victory since a 4-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 4. They went 0-4-4 in the stretch, with four of the losses by one goal and two others by two goals. The final two losses were by 4-0 scores.
“It’s been a tough couple weeks,” Muse said. “It wears on you when you go through these types of stretches. That’s just reality.”
Toronto won the first two meetings between the teams this season — 4-3 at home on Nov. 3 and 7-2 at Pittsburgh on Nov. 29.
The Maple Leafs are also showing signs of frustration. William Nylander has not scored in his past 11 games going back to Nov. 26.
“I actually feel pretty good right now,” Nylander said. “Lots of chances every night whether it’s me or my line, we’re getting chances. That’s the way you have to look at it.”
Nylander has five assists and 17 shots on goal during the scoring drought.
“He is getting his looks, and they’re not going in,” Berube said. “But sometimes you have to get around the net and get greasy and score some dirty goals. … We want bounces? We want luck? You’ve got to earn them, and you’ve got to keep earning them, you know. Like, it doesn’t just happen.”
Toronto’s power play was 0-for-10 on the trip.
–Field Level Media
