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Penguins eclipsed by Maple Leafs in overtime | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins eclipsed by Maple Leafs in overtime

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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The Maple Leafs’ Ilya Lyubushkin checks the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby during the first period Monday in Toronto.
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The Penguins’ Drew O’Connor (10) battles with the Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews during the first period Monday in Toronto.
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The Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bertuzzi stumbles while chasing the puck as the Penguins’ Ryan Shea and the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews (34) look on during the first period Monday in Toronto.
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Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov makes a save next to the Penguins’ Jeff Carter and the Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe during the first period Monday in Toronto.
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Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) stops the Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner during the second period Monday in Toronto.
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The Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bertuzzi and the Penguins’ Lars Eller battle for the puck during the second period Monday in Toronto.

Much of North America spent Monday looking up at the sky.

As for the Penguins, they continued to keep their focus on moving up the standings.

“Obviously, we’re in a good place right now,” Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. “We’ve still got a long way to go. We can’t be satisfied with what we’ve done so far. We have to keep pushing, keep working and focus on the next game.

“These last two weeks and a bit, we’ve been playing pretty consistent and pretty good hockey.”

That trend was impeded a bit on Monday as the Penguins were eclipsed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, in overtime at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

A goal by Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe – his eighth of the season at 1:30 of overtime - was the difference.

“Close game,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said to the Canadian Press service in Toronto on Monday. “We’ll look at this as hopefully an important point here down the road.”

The result halted a four-game winning streak and kept the Penguins off the path of totality for the second — and final — wild card position of the Eastern Conference. With a 36-30-12 record and 84 points, they sit in third place with regard to the wild card.

The idle Detroit Red Wings — with a 38-31-8 mark and 84 points — remained in second place having played one fewer game than the Penguins.

On Thursday, the Penguins host the Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena.

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell opened the scoring with his 14th goal of the season 18:06 into regulation.

Corralling a puck dumped into his own zone, Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin curled from the left hashmarks to the right wing wall and flung an ill-conceived backhand pass up ice that was intercepted by Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin above the right circle. Shielding the puck from Maple Leafs forward David Kampf, Malkin veered his way to the left circle and hurried a pass to the slot for Rakell. Stopping the puck with his left skate, Rakell maneuvered to the left dot, spun to his right and fired a wrister by goaltender Ilya Samsonov’s glove on the far side for his 200th career goal. Forward Michael Bunting, who pressured Lyubushkin into the turnover, supplied a screen on Rakell’s shot. Malkin had the only assist.

The Maple Leafs tied the game at 5:36 of the second period via rookie forward Matthew Knies’ 15th goal.

After Maple Leafs forward Pontus Holmberg beat Penguins forward Jeff Carter on a faceoff in the Penguins’ left circle, forward William Nylander controlled the puck on the left half-wall and dished it to the center point for defenseman Morgan Rielly. Considering his options for a moment, Reilly offloaded the puck to the right circle where defenseman T.J. Brodie was situated. Allowing a passing lane to open, Brodie slipped a forehand pass to the left of the crease where Knies gained a step on Carter and tapped in a forehand shot by Nedeljkovic’s right skate. Brodie and Rielly registered assists.

Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 65th goal during a power-play sequence 1:22 into the third period.

In the Penguins’ left circle, forward John Tavares got the better of Penguins forward Lars Eller on a faceoff and muscled the puck back to the high slot. Already wound up and standing on only his left skate, Matthews clapped a one-timer that smoked Nedeljkovic’s glove. The lone assist went to Tavares.

Things were tied when Penguins forward Drew O’Connor collected his 14th goal at 13:38 of the third frame.

Digging a puck out of a battle in the Maple Leafs’ right corner, Crosby fed it to the center point for defenseman P.O Joseph, who almost immediately snapped a wrister toward the cage. After the puck appeared to be blocked by the right leg of McCabe in the blue paint, O’Connor was able to clean up the rebound with an easy forehand shot. Joseph and Crosby had assists.

McCabe won the game 90 seconds into the extra period.

Bulling his way past a check by Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson on the Penguins’ end boards, Matthews one-handed a backhand pass that trickled to the left point and was corralled by forward Mitch Marner. Settling play, Marner dished the puck back to Matthews at the left half-wall. As McCabe darted from the right point by Eller, Matthews slid the puck to the right circle where McCabe launched an attack on net and fired a forehand shot through Nedeljkovic’s five hole. Matthews and Marner claimed assists.

“I was waiting to see what Mitch and (Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi) were (going to) do,” McCabe said to the Canadian Press. “Auston found me on the backside.”

Nedeljkovic, making his ninth consecutive start, made 20 saves on 23 shots as his record slipped to 16-6-7. The Penguins have recorded at least a point in all nine of these starts.

Notes:

• The Penguins’ power play was 0 for 5 and recorded eight shots over 8:58 of ice time.

• The Penguins’ last overtime loss to the Maple Leafs was a 2-1 defeat at what was then named Air Canada Center on Dec. 17, 2016. Defenseman Jake Gardiner scored the winning goal on goaltender March Andre Fleury.

• Rakell (106 points) surpassed forward Craig Simpson (105) for 89th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• The Penguins scratched defensemen Ryan Graves (concussion), John Ludvig (healthy) and forward Sam Poulin (healthy).

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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