MAPLE LEAFS BLOW INTO PITTSBURGH

MAPLE LEAFS BLOW INTO PITTSBURGH

TORONTO AT PITTSBURGH

WHEN: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 3, 2018

WHERE: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Toronto Maple Leafs have seen their high-octane offense run on fumes, scoring just 10 goals in the last six games (2-4-0) -- including two in their last two contests. Undefeated in five road games, the Maple Leafs look to get it in gear against a team that shut them out just over two weeks ago when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

"We know the firepower we have. Bounces aren't going our way right now, stuff happens like that," Toronto forward Mitch Marner told TSN on Friday. "Just for us it's about coming with the same intensity we did (in Thursday's 2-1 setback versus Dallas)." Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal in the third period against the Stars while fellow forward John Tavares notched an assist for his third point in four contests. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin hasn't been shy on the offensive end, extending his point streak to nine games (six goals, 11 assists) by scoring his fourth goal in three outings during Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders. The 2012 Hart Trophy winner, who collected two goals and an assist in the Penguins' 3-0 win at Toronto on Oct. 18, has recorded 20 points in 11 games to trail only Colorado's Mikko Rantanen for the league lead.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, CBC, Sportsnet1 (Toronto), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (8-5-0): Nazem Kadri has answered a nine-game goalless streak with three tallies in his last four games, a notable contribution as Toronto bids to regain its offensive footing in the wake of Auston Matthews' shoulder injury. "I think when you're a young kid, you tend to overthink this sort of thing and let it bother you a little more than it should," the 28-year-old Kadri told TSN of his previous scoring drought. "So once you gain that experience and go through a couple of those stretches, you just start to understand that your game never changes and bounces will go your way eventually. You just stay as calm as possible." Speaking of Matthews, the star forward went through a light skate and did not participate in shooting drills during Friday's practice.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (6-2-3): Captain Sidney Crosby failed to dent the scoresheet against the Islanders on Thursday to halt a five-game point streak (six goals, four assists) that began with an assist against Toronto. Dominik Simon, however, extended his point streak to a career-best five games with a goal versus New York, but Matt Murray took the loss in both ends of the home-and-home set against the Islanders despite turning aside 24 shots on Thursday. The 24-year-old Ontario native aims to rebound versus Toronto, against which he owns a 3-0-1 mark with a 1.42 goals-against average and .959 save percentage in five career appearances.

OVERTIME

1. Pittsburgh D Jack Johnson and LW Carl Hagelin are expected to play in their respective 800th and 500th NHL games on Saturday.

2. Maple Leafs G Frederik Andersen, who stopped 36 of 37 shots in the first meeting with the Penguins, has yielded two goals or fewer in six of his last seven outings.

3. Pittsburgh D Kris Letang scored and set up a goal in the first encounter with Toronto and has six points (one goal, five assists) in his last five games overall.

PREDICTION: Penguins 3, Maple Leafs 2

STATS AND RECORDS

TEAM COMPARISON

	W/L	Strk	Home	Away	Day	Night	Div
Toronto	8-5-0-0	L2	3-5-0-0	5-0-0-0	0-0-0-0	8-5-0-0	2-1-0-0
Pittsburgh	6-2-1-2	L2	2-2-1-0	4-0-0-2	0-0-0-0	6-2-1-2	1-1-0-1