For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs were slow out of the gate for the second game in a row coming off their long layoff, but bounced back with three unanswered goals to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. Auston Matthews, Travis Dermott and Zach Hyman scored for the Leafs and Garret Sparks made 28 saves for the victory in his first start in more than two weeks. After a salvaging a point in a weak effort in Detroit on Friday, Toronto surrendered early goals to Sidney Crosby and Teddy Blueger, but got a much needed shot in the arm late in the first period from Matthews, who scored in his third straight game to narrow the lead. Dermott tied the game midway through the middle frame with a shot from just inside the blueline that beat Penguins goalie Matt Murray off a clean Patrick Marleau faceoff win. Toronto took the lead for good late in the second, as Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner set up Hyman in front of the net for his ninth of the season and preserved their one-goal lead, allowing only nine shots on their backup goaltender in the third period. “I thought we were playing pretty well and they just got two (goals).… Hyman said after the game. “On that power play one, Sid [Crosby] put it in the perfect spot. I thought we were playing well, we just stuck with it. It's important when you get behind like that to a good team, you don't give them anything and [Sparks] was great…. Jake Muzzin saw a slight uptick in his usage in his second game in Blue and White, playing just under 20 minutes and seeing time on the second power play unit. The fourth line of Par Lindholm, Frederik Gauthier and Andreas Johnsson saw less than nine minutes ice time at even strength and were on the ice for Blueger’s goal, which could necessitate changes in the unit when Tyler Ennis is ready to return to the lineup. Defenseman Martin Marincin cleared waivers on Sunday and it is expected that he will be demoted to the AHL Toronto Marlies once Ennis is activated off of injured reserve. *******
As reported on HNIC’s Headlines segment on Saturday, the Leafs appear to be closing in on a contract extension with Auston Matthews. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that agent Judd Moldaver will be in Toronto to negotiate with Leafs management and that the likely term of the deal will be either five or six years for an amount ranging from $11 Million to below Connor McDavid’s league-high $12.5 Million AAV. A shorter term and salary in the $11 Million range is beneficial to both the 21-year-old center and the club, giving Matthews another chance at a big payday at age 27 or 28 (as John Tavares had with a five-year deal coming out of his ELC) and giving Toronto more flexibility with the cap than had he signed an eight-year max deal. The timing is also critical for the Leafs, who can concentrate on getting Mitch Marner signed once Matthews is locked up. *******
The Leafs astound, confound.
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