The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to keep their momentum rolling as they travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs tonight. The Leafs, now under the watchful eye of new team President Brendan Shanahan, are trying to turn things around after finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division and out of the playoff a year ago.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: It will be the second game of the season for both teams, as the Maple Leafs lost 4-3 against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. The Leafs will have a different look this season, after waiving enforcers Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren in favor of players with better possession numbers. The Leafs had led the NHL in fighting majors in each of the past two seasons.
Leaf’s head coach Randy Carlyle played parts of six seasons with the Penguins from 1978 to 1984. He suited up in the black and gold 397 times, scoring 66 goals, and 257 assists. He won the Norris Trophy for top NHL defenseman 1980-81 and is the only Penguins defenseman to ever win that award.
UP AND DOWN: Defenseman Scott Harrington was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League Friday. Harrington, 21, was one of the last players cut from Pittsburgh’s training camp. He played 76 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in his first professional season a year ago, with five goals and 19 assists in 76 games. Harrington is known more for his defensive abilities than his scoring, and could help the team’s struggling penalty kill.
To make room on the roster for Harrington, defenseman Taylor Chorney was sent down to Wilkes-Barre. Chorney, 27, was signed as a free agent this offseason. He has played 61 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers, and will provide a veteran presence on the AHL Penguins blue line.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY: One of the lone sour notes in the Penguins 6-4 opening-night victory over Anaheim was the penalty kill.
The Ducks were able to exploit the Pens on the man advantage, scoring three goals on six chances. All three goals were scored when the Ducks passed through the Penguins penalty killers from the right-wing wall through the middle of the ice to an open player. It’s unclear if Anaheim was able to find a systematic weakness in the Penguins penalty kill system, or if the Penguins penalty killers were just unable to execute.
It will be interesting to see if Assistant Coach Gary Agnew will be able to make any adjustments for tonight’s game. The Maple Leafs were sixth in the league with a 19.8% power play percentage last season and went one for three on Wednesday against Montreal.
TOP OF THE CHARTS: Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis returned from his knee injury in style, with three goals and an assist on Thursday. He is tied for the league lead with four points. Dupuis has never had a 60-point season in his 14-year NHL career, but is currently on pace for 324 this season.
