The Maple Leafs 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday was a more competitive effort than the clubs first meeting in early October, but an ineffective power play cost Toronto a game in which superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were uncharacteristically limited to one assist. a chance to extend their winning streak to four games.
Pascal Dupuis scored both goals and backup Thomas Greiss made 30 saves for the Penguins, who improve to 11-3-1 on the season. Cody Franson tallied and Jonathan Bernier made 38 stops in the loss which ended the Leafs three game winning streak and moved them to 9-6-2 on the season.
Toronto went 0 for 6 with the man advantage, including three power plays in the middle frame that appeared to stall the club’s momentum. Pittsburgh opened the scoring late in the second after Robert Bortuzzo’s minor for a gloved punch of Nazem Kadri expired. The Pens defenseman escaped the penalty box and worked the puck into the Toronto zone against a tired power play unit, which led to Dupuis’s deflection of Christian Ehrhoff’s point shot.
The Penguins caught the Leafs sleeping to start the third and extended their lead 15 seconds in, as Crosby’s backhand from the corner found Dupuis in the slot for a one-timer and second of the game. Coach Randy Carlyle decided to shake up his forward lines at that point, moving Kadri between Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak between Mike Santorelli and Leo Komarov and Peter Holland between Daniel Winnik and David Clarkson.
“After they scored the second goal, I didn’t feel that we couldn’t just stay the same.… Carlyle said. “We talked about a one goal hockey game going into the third period and giving ourselves a chance with an effort that would have been much more intense than what we had in the first two periods.…
Toronto narrowed the lead to 2-1 as Franson intercepted an errant clearing pass and fired a shot just inside the blueline over Greiss’s right shoulder, but could not tie the game on two succeeding chances with the man advantage, including a 6-on-4 advantage with Bernier pulled after Malkin’s retaliatory minor on Dion Phaneuf after his clean check of Pens winger Patrick Hornqvist.
“We weren’t as sharp with the puck as we needed to be.… Carlyle said. “(Pittsburgh) did a good job of forcing things to the outside and blocking shots when we did, but we didn’t do a very good job of handling the puck and when we moved the puck, we were over handling it, maybe playing too slow.…
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The Leafs are not expected to skate Saturday morning in Buffalo prior to their contest against the Sabres, so any lineup changes will not be confirmed until just prior to game time. James Reimer is expected to get the start in the second of back-to-back games at First Niagara Center, a building that has long been a place where Toronto performs terribly.
The Sabres are 1-6-2 at First Niagara Center and 30th in the NHL with a 3-13-2 record, but their record is meaningless when it comes to the Leafs playing to Buffalo.
The last place Sabres won both home games against Toronto last season, including a 3-1 victory in Ted Nolan's second debut as Buffalo head coach on this date one year ago. The Leafs are 1-13-1 in their last 15 games at First Niagara Center.
Buffalo has lost four straight game and will start Michal Neuvirth in goal. Neuvirth stood on his head in the first two periods of the previous match on October 28, making 28 saves prior to Tyler Bozak's game winner late in the second. The Leafs limited Buffalo to 10 shots on goal, the lowest shot total allowed in the 98 year history of the club.
The Sabres will be without veteran defenseman Josh Gorges, who suffered a lower body injury in a 6-3 loss to Minnesota on Thursday and Nolan is considering sitting veteran Cody Hodgson, who has been demoted to the fourth line in recent games.
Winger Marcus Foligno and defenseman Andrej Meszaros are expected to play, while disturber Patrick Kaleta will sit after returning for his first NHL game in over a year on Thursday.
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Saturday's game will mark the return of Sabres Hall of Fame play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret. Jeanneret was diagnosed with throat cancer in July and after treatment has been declared cancer-free by his doctors and well enough to call the first period of the Leafs - Sabres game.
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