Pittsburgh Penguins Vs Toronto Maple Leafs GameDay, TV/Radio, And Preview
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Penguins (10-3-1, 21 points) wrap up their five-game road trip this evening when they take on the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The Black and Gold are 3-1 on their road swing, and they became the last National Hockey League team to lose in regulation on the road when they were shut out 5-0 by the Rangers in New York on Tuesday night.
Randy Carlyle’s squad (9-5-2, 20 points) is in third place in the Atlantic Division of the NHL’s Eastern Conference, and enjoying the comforts of a three-game winning streak. Their last victory was a 6-1 win at home on Wednesday over the Boston Bruins.
Tonight is the second of three contests this season between the two teams, as the Penguins skated off with a 5-2 victory in Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 11. Pittsburgh is 6-3-1 in its last 10 stopovers at the Air Canada Centre
When: Friday, Nov. 14
Puck Drop: 7:35 p.m.
Site: Air Canada Centre
Television: ROOT Sports Network
Announcers: Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey
Radio Coverage: 105.9 FM – The X and the Penguins Radio Network
Announcers: Mike Lange and Phil Bourque
Live Video Steam: NHL GameCenter LIVE (http://penguins.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=67162)
Audio Stream: Penguins Radio 24/7 (http://penguins.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=67173)
Sirius XM Satellite Radio: Sirius Internet 942
Odds: Penguins -1.5 According to Bovada Online Sportsbook with the Over/Under at 5.5.
In their last meeting back in October, Sidney Crosby had three power play points with one goal and two assists in the 5-2 victory. The line of Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz, and Crosby finished the contest with six points. The Pens outshot the Leafs 41-25.
Special teams were on display as Pittsburgh went three for five on the power play in that first meeting while Toronto went two for five with the man advantage.
The Maple Leafs have put up 16 goals in their last three games, and are 4-0-0 at the Air Canada Centre since Oct. 25. Forward Phil Kessel leads the top line with James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak, that combined for eight points in their win over Boston.
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According to the Globe and Mail, part of the reason for Toronto’s strong start is that last season, the Leafs were last in the league with just 42.3 per cent of the unblocked shot attempts at even strength, and they are at 48.1 per cent in the early going of this season.
One of the players who has performed well against the Blue and White is Evgeni Malkin, who has 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 points in 25 career games against Toronto. He is currently on a five-game point streak with four goals and five assists versus the Maple Leafs.
Up Next: The Black and Gold come back to CONSOL Energy Center on Saturday, Nov. 15 for a rematch with Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers (7-6-3, 17 points). The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
From The Clipboard: Kris Letang has two goals and seven assists in his last six games against the Leafs…Sidney Crosby’s 10 assists on the road is the highest amount in the NHL among forwards…Defenseman Olli Maatta rejoined the team for practice on Thursday at the MCC Centre, just 10 days after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on his thyroid gland. He took part in the majority of the drills at the practice. Coach Mike Johnston said Maatta is at least five days from returning to action.