The Pittsburgh Penguins will wrap up their five-game road trip in Toronto tonight. Despite losing to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the Penguins have won three of four on this road trip and have the league’s best mark on the road.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: The Maple Leafs are on a three-game winning streak, beating the Rangers, Ottawa Senators,
and Boston Bruins in the past week.
Toronto has been lead offensively by Phil Kessel. Kessel has 10 goals and 11 assists through 16 games. Kessel has been a Penguins killer throughout his career, with 24 points in 30 games with Toronto and the Boston Bruins. James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak join Kessel on the Leafs’ top line.
On defense, captain Dion Phanuef has done most of the heavy lifting. He leads all Toronto skaters with an average of 23:14 of ice time per game. Included in that figure is 2:41 of power play time and 2:57 of shorthanded play.
In goal for the Leafs will be Jonathan Bernier. Bernier has a 5-3-2 record in 11 games this season and sports a .917 save percentage. In his career against Pittsburgh, he’s lost all three contests and surrendered 3.91 goals per game.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Thomas Greiss will get the start in the first of back-to-back games for the Penguins. The team will face the Rangers Saturday night at Consol Energy Center. Greiss has never faced the Maple Leafs.
ON THE MEND: The tumor removed from defenseman Olli Maatta’s thyroid gland was indeed cancerous, the team reported Thursday afternoon. His diagnosis doesn’t seem to have slowed his recovery down at all. Matta underwent successful surgery last week and was expected to miss about a month, but he has already started practicing with the team.
“The way he looks right now, he’ll definitely be back before that four-week window,” Penguins head coach Mike Johnston said after practice on Thursday. “I would expect [that] if he reacts positively to the skate today, and the doctors can take a look at him over the next day or so, he could be back at any time within five days I would think.”
SHUFFLING THE DECK: The Penguins have changed up their forward lines for the first time in a few weeks, reuniting the top line of Chris Kuntiz, Sidney Crosby, and Pascal Dupuis. Playing on the second line with Evgeni Malkin will be Nick Spaling and Patric Hornqvist.
Beau Bennett, who made his season debut in Tuesday night’s 5-0 loss to the Rangers, will be on the third line with Brandon Sutter and Steve Downie. Blake Comeau is questionable for tonight’s game with an illness. Either him or Zach Sill will skate on the fourth line with Marcel Goc and Craig Adams.
Coach Johnston cited increased depth of scoring throughout the lineup along as a reason for the changes.
TOP GUN DOWN: The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League announced Wednesday that top NHL prospect Connor McDavid fractured a bone in his right hand in a fight during against the Mississauga Steelheads.
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McDavid, 17, has 16 goals and 35 assists through 18 games and is widely considered to be the top prospect for next year’s NHL Entry Draft. He is expected to miss 5-6 weeks with the injury, but will not require surgery.
That timeframe would put his participation for Team Canada in December’s IIHF World Junior Championship in doubt.
MINOR MATTERS: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-5-1) will host Lehigh Valley at 7:05 p.m. tonight. Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff will make his return from a three-week absence due to a lower-body injury. Eric Hartzell was sent down to Wheeling of the ECHL along with defenseman Nick D’Agostino.
The Nailers (5-3) will host the Orlando Solar Bears at 7:35 p.m.
