The Pittsburgh Penguins aim to extend their four-game winning streak and enhance their playoff chances when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.
The Penguins (36-30-11, 83 points) moved into a playoff position Saturday when they defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4.
The Maple Leafs (44-23-9, 97 points) had clinched a playoff spot before their 4-2 road victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Toronto’s Auston Matthews continued his pursuit of a 70-goal season when he scored his 64th on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs had lost 4-1 at home to Tampa Bay on Wednesday but clinched a playoff position by the results on Friday despite being idle.
The Penguins needed a late third-period goal from former Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting on Saturday after the Lightning overcame a 4-1 deficit to tie the game.
Bunting, who also had two assists, scored on a backhand from just outside the crease at 14:32 of the third.
“We made it exciting,” Bunting said. “Obviously, we want to hold those leads when we’re in them, but that’s a good hockey team over there.”
Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist, Erik Karlsson had three assists, Sidney Crosby scored his 40th goal of the season and Kris Letang also scored for the Penguins, who are 6-0-2 on an eight-game point streak. Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves in his eighth straight start.
“I thought we just stayed with it,” Crosby said. “It didn’t feel like we did a lot wrong, but that’s a team that if you give them time and space, they’re going to convert.”
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan praised his team’s effort.
“I just give the players credit,” he said. “We hung in there. Tampa’s a really good team. They have one of the more dynamic offenses in the league. … I give our players credit. We hung in there.”
Matthews is one goal away from tying the most in a season among active players. Alex Ovechkin scored 65 goals for the Washington Capitals in 2007-08.
Matthews, who had 106 points (60 goals, 46 assists) in 2021-22, has matched Darryl Sittler and Doug Gilmour as the only Toronto players to have two 100-point seasons.
“Auston’s not a guy that really cares too much about his points, you know, his own milestones,” Toronto forward Mitch Marner said. “Just like all of us have expressed, we have a bigger dream in mind, but what he’s been doing this year has been special.
“And just like we’ve talked about all year, he’s a special player and we’re fortunate to have him.”
Marner, who had missed the previous 12 games, had an assist in the win over Montreal.
“I felt good out there,” Marner said. “I obviously had a lot of support out there with speed and some very skilled players, so I tried to do my thing and make them better as they did the same with me.”
Toronto moved four points ahead of the Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division.
Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe has adjusted his lines, splitting Matthews and Marner and dropping William Nylander to the third line.
“In the playoffs, you know you have to be able to rely on more than one line. You want to be able to just roll your group and not have to overthink it,” Keefe said. “This is a step toward looking that way.”
-Field Level Media
