Report cards for the Maple Leafs: Once more, Toronto’s luck and outcome fall short
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since the end of October with a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins started with control over the Leafs in the opening two minutes with the Auston Matthews and John Tavares lines spending the majority of their first shift in the defensive zone. The fourth line tipped the scale and the Leafs began spending more time at the other end of the ice, and their quickness to pucks allowed them to reload on shots from the perimeter and fight for rebounds. A holding penalty on Matthew Knies stopped that momentum, which Rickard Rakell scored on; however, the top line tied it up with Mitch Marner scoring his 10th. Bryan Rust restored the lead for Pittsburgh after another weird bounce created a huge rebound. Score aside, the Leafs dominated that first period.
