The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to a recapture their winning ways at home, as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins at Air Canada Center on Saturday.
The reigning Stanley Cup Champions had their seven-game win streak snapped on Friday, a 1-0 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings and lead the New York Rangers by one point for top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Toronto entered December with an impressive 8-3-0 at ACC, but losses to Minnesota and Colorado in regulation and to San Jose and Arizona in a shootout have the Leafs just one point out of last place in the Eastern Conference.
The game features eight players selected in the top five of the NHL Draft; Sidney Crosby (1st overall, 2005), Evgeni Malkin (2nd overall, 2004), Phil Kessel (5th overall, 2006) and Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall, 2003) for Pittsburgh, James van Riemsdyk (2nd overall, 2007), Morgan Rielly (5th overall, 2012), Mitch Marner(4th overall, 2015) and Auston Matthews (1st overall, 2016).
#Leafs take the morning skate at ACC. They face Pittsburgh tonight & Anaheim on Mon before heading out for 8 of the next 10 on the road. pic.twitter.com/oTCAU3o1Fp
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) December 17, 2016
Crosby, Malkin and Kessel are all in the top 10 of NHL scoring and “Sid the Kid… leads the league with 21 goals, while Fleury (8-5-0 record, 3.42 GAA and .900 save percentage) has struggled in a goalie rotation with rookie Matt Murray.
“When the best players on your team have elite drive train, everybody else falls in line.… Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the morning skate. “I like (Pittsburgh’s) group, I think they play well. I think they are organized, they have a plan and their best players play.…
Babcock is looking for more effort from his club. In their 3-2 shootout loss to Arizona on Thursday, Matthews continued his hot hand, scoring his eighth goal in the last 10 games and Marner broke an 11-game goalless streak with a breakaway tally, but veterans van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri were barely noticeable at times.
After speaking to a group of minor hockey coaches following the club’s morning skate, Babcock offered an unprompted response to the comments made by defenseman Frank Corrado this week.
“Anybody who coaches in the NHL knows the fact that they have disgruntled players at times, but even at the NHL level, it’s important for (the coach) for you to do your best to make sure that you know you care about them.… Babcock said. “They doesn’t mean they get to play….. but that you care and you are trying to be better people and players.…
Frederik Andersen will make his third straight start for Toronto and the club’s line combos and defensive pairings were unchanged at the morning skate on Saturday.
Pittsburgh arrived in Toronto early Saturday morning and did not skate. Murray started in goal against the Kings on Friday, so it is likely that Fleury will be in goal for the Penguins.
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