Penguins' top line victimized in loss to Maple Leafs

As Sidney Crosby goes, the Pittsburgh Penguins tend to go.

And neither went in a particularly good direction Tuesday night.

During a 5-2 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at PPG Paints Arena, Crosby had a goal but was somewhat directly involved in two of the visitors’ scores.

In total, he was on the ice for the complete set of five scored by the Maple Leafs, including one empty netter.

Against the context of Crosby’s nonpareil career, it was a fairly rare clunker of a performance by the generational superstar.

But within the prism of recent games, it maintained a trend.

Over the team’s past few games, the tried-and-true trio of Crosby with linemates Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust has struggled to generate substantial five-on-five offense.

Crosby’s goal Tuesday was the exception, though it came through a hideous turnover by the Maple Leafs that the Penguins’ captain converted with the hockey equivalent of a lay-up.

Overall, the line was edged in terms of shots attempts, 18-16, per Natural Stat Trick.

While Crosby wasn’t overly expressive in detailing his funk, he acknowledged his subpar play.

“We had some chances,” Crosby said. “On the defensive side, obviously, we gave up a lot. It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t clicking.”

His coach offered a few more thoughts on the Penguins’ scuffling top line.

“Obviously, they’ve been such a good line for so long,” Mike Sullivan said. “The last few games, it’s been a bit of a struggle for them. I know it’s not for a lack of effort. We’re trying to help them through the process. The standard is so high, the expectations are so high because they’ve been such a good line for so long. They usually control the game for the majority of the time they’re out there. We, as a coaching staff, are trying to help them through the process. We’re trying to work through it together, just giving them some insights, maybe, that we see that might help them.

“But obviously, we think they’re capable of a lot. So, we’re going to work through it with them.”

Former Penguins goaltender Matt Murray put in plenty of work to play in this game. After suffering a groin injury on Oct. 15 during a morning skate, he spent the past month on long-term injured reserve rehabilitating himself into game shape.

That effort manifested itself into a sturdy 35-save performance (on 37 shots) that led to his first career win as a member of the Maple Leafs in his first game at PPG Paints Arena since the Penguins traded him to the Ottawa Senators in October of 2020.

“It was a little strange,” said Murray, who was traded to the Maple Leafs this past offseason. “A lot of the circumstances around the game were a little strange. My first game back after four weeks or whatever it was coming back from injury. And my first time playing in this building (as a visitor). It was a great experience and a great road win for our team.”

The visitors struck first 12:04 into regulation when forward John Tavares scored his ninth goal of the season. Out-muscling Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin for a puck in the Penguins’ right corner, Maple Leafs forward Alexander Kerfoot dished it to the right point for defenseman Jordie Benn. Faking a shot for a moment, Benn slipped a pass to the high slot for Tavares. Turning to his left, Tavares utilized Crosby as a screen and wired a wrister past the blocker of goaltender Casey DeSmith. Benn and Kerfoot had assists.

DeSmith absorbed blame for how the sequence unfolded.

“There was a lot of traffic in front,” said DeSmith, who started in place of All-Star Tristan Jarry for the third time in the past four games. “I probably should have switched to the other side. I was trying to look short side. Probably could have switched across the screen. There was a lot of bodies out in front.”

It became a two-goal lead exactly three minutes later thanks to the Maple Leafs’ second line once again. Gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, Tavares pulled up on the half wall and flung a backhand pass across the ice to Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly above the right circle. From just above the right dot, Rielly fed a clever pass to the front of the crease for Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner. Facing little resistance, Marner was able to shuffle a forehand shot before Crosby reached back on a late backcheck and put the puck past the left skate of an out-stretched DeSmith for his fourth goal. Rielly and Tavares tallied assists.

The Maple Leafs wasted little time in the second period to make it 3-0. To be clear, they wasted all of 11 seconds before forward Michael Bunting scored his third goal. Off the opening faceoff of the period, Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson made an ill-advised pinch at the center red line and allowed Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews to generate a two-on-one rush with Bunting against defenseman Kris Letang. Gaining the offensive zone, Matthews slid a pass to the slot for Bunting, who one-touched a forehand shot past DeSmith’s blocker on the near side. Matthews had the lone assist.

All of 43 seconds later, the Penguins responded with their first score of the contest in the form of forward Rickard Rakell’s seventh goal of the campaign. Taking a pass on the left boards of the offensive zone, Malkin fed a pass above the top of the right circle where linemate Jason Zucker chopped a one-timer. Battling with Tavares above the crease for position, Rakell allowed the puck to glance off his left knee and past Murray’s glove. Zucker and Malkin netted assists.

Crosby pulled the Penguins within one with his seventh goal at 2:38 of the second period thanks to some good fortune. Settling a puck dumped into his own zone, Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin fanned on an outlet pass and the puck slid right to Crosby at the blue line. Accepting the charity, Crosby drove the slot, fended off Sandin and lifted a backhander past Murray’s glove. There were no assists.

The Penguins – and, specifically, Crosby’s line – had a handful of optimal opportunities to tie the game in the middle frame but just couldn’t beat their former goaltender. At 12:31 of the second period, Murray denied Crosby on a brilliant chance from the slot. The puck slid loose in the crease and was cleared out by Marner.

Murray allowed a puck to leak through again at 6:39 of the second after shots by Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Brock McGinn, but Benn was able to prevent it from crossing the goal line with his stick and left skate.

The Maple Leafs restored a two-goal lead late in the middle frame when Bunting scored again at the 19:10 mark. After Crosby failed to securely handle a pass on his own left half wall, Maple Leafs rookie forward Pontus Holmberg claimed the puck at the left point and dished it to the high slot for Matthews. Reading the zone for a moment, Matthews snapped off a wrister that was blocked by Letang. The rebound bounced to the right circle, where Holmberg immediately shuffled a backhander toward the crease. Establishing position on Letang, Bunting tapped in a forehand shot past an out-of-position DeSmith. Holmberg and Matthews had assists.

An empty net score by William Nylander, his seventh of the season, secured victory at 17:37 of the final frame. Bunting and Rielly registered assists.

If there was any room for optimism on the offensive front, it came with the Penguins’ power play. While it was for 0 for 3, the Penguins did generate eight shots and looked far more aggressive in simply trying to put the puck on the net than in previous contests.

“Sometimes, when you’re struggling, I think that’s the main thing you do,” Guentzel said. “Just start shooting the puck. We had a lot more chances tonight. We were pretty good on the power play, we just couldn’t find the back of the net. If we just keep shooting, hopefully, one goes in here.”

The Penguins’ first line would like to see a few more pucks go in the opposing net, regardless of the circumstances.

“We just need to be better,” Guentzel said. “I don’t think there’s any other way else to put it. We know we need to be better in all areas. Just need to get a little bit connected. We’ve had success in the past. Just got to try and find a way to get out of it and hopefully it will come next game.”

Notes:

• Penguins forward Teddy Blueger, sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury during a training camp practice on Sept. 28, was activated from long-term injured reserve and made his season debut. Logging 12 minutes of ice time on 16 shifts, Blueger had two shot attempts and was 6 for 11 on faceoffs (55%).

• Penguins defensemen P.O Joseph and forward Kasperi Kapanen were healthy scratches.

• Crosby (1,426 points) surpassed former Penguins forward Bryan Trottier (1,425) for 17th place on the NHL’s career scoring list.

• McGinn had a three-game goal-scoring streak snapped.

• Rakell’s last five goals have come in losses. His first two scores of the season came in wins.

• Murray’s last win at PPG Paints Arena was a 7-3 victory against the Ottawa Senators on March 3, 2020. He made 23 saves on 27 shots in that contest.

• Holmberg’s assist was the first point of his career.