Leafs, Pens in opposite directions
Toronto set to host Penguins; but star centre Matthews likely to sit out with injury
TORONTO — Morgan Rielly enjoys seeing Pittsburgh Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin spin their magic — when the Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman isn’t on the ice trying to contain them, that is.
“Watching those guys when they’re playing really well is great,” Rielly said. “The way they play the game, the way they move the puck and create offensive opportunities for their linemates ... it’s about as good as it gets.
“Playing against them is tough, but it’s a good test for our team looking to bounce back.”
And bounce back is exactly what Toronto will be trying to do when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins visit Air Canada Centre tonight.
The Leafs limped home off a disappointing four-game road trip — a slide preceded by victories in nine of their previous 10 — that culminated with Monday’s 5-3 loss in Buffalo to round out a 0-2-2 stretch where they surrendered a combined 16 goals against.
But with four days to get ready for a Pittsburgh attack that has averaged an NHLhigh four goals a game in 2018, the Leafs won’t have any excuses when it comes to rest or preparation.
“We’ve been sliding a little bit, and I think now’s a good time to get back on track,” Toronto centre Nazem Kadri said. “Just being able to try to play our best hockey and move things in the right direction to where we want to be come playoff time. These guys are contenders, are every year, and we’re certainly going to try to make it hard on them.”
One big hole that remains is down the middle, where it looks like the Leafs will once again be without star centre Auston Matthews
Sporting a red non-contact jersey, the 20-yearold skated on his own before Friday’s practice, but left for the locker-room about 10 minutes later.
Matthews injured his shoulder after getting sandwiched by two Islanders in Toronto’s 4-3 shootout victory over New York on Feb. 22.
“He’s progressing,” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “What does that mean? I don’t know the answer to that. When he’s ready, he’ll let us know. Ideally we’ll have him more than ready as far as fitness goes.”
Toronto currently sits third in the Atlantic Division — it’s difficult to see the Leafs moving up or down the standings at this point with 14 games left on the schedule — while Pittsburgh appears to be hitting its stride at the right time after a somewhat bumpy start to the season.
The Penguins have the league’s third-best record since Jan. 1 at 20-7-1 and are in a battle for top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
“It’s a great team. Everybody’s aware of that,” said Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey, who won the Cup with Pittsburgh last year. “We’ll certainly have our work cut out for us.”
The Penguins bolstered their lineup with the acquisition of Derick Brassard from Ottawa at the trade deadline, giving them a third offensive centre behind Crosby and Malkin.
“They’ve done a real nice job of creating depth,” Babcock said. “They have a team that’s built for this year. They’re pushing hard to have success this year.” TAKING NOTE: Capitals sign GM MacLellan to extension: The Washington Capitals re-signed general manager Brian MacLellan to a contract extension.
MacLellan is in the fourth year of his original four-year deal when he was promoted from assistant GM to replace McPhee.
Sabres forward Kyle Okposo diagnosed with a concussion: Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with his second concussion in less than a year.
Okposo was hurt when he and Senators forward Bobby Ryan didn’t see each other and collided early in the second period of Buffalo’s 4-3 shootout win at Ottawa on Thursday.
Predators honour David Poile for most wins by NHL GM: The Nashville Predators waited a week to honour David Poile as the general manager with the most victories in the 100-year history of the NHL, throwing a big celebration before a home game Thursday night.
Poile won his 1,320th game as general manager March 1 in a 4-2 win at Edmonton, passing Glen Sather’s 1,319 wins.The Predators still had to finish a road trip, so the celebration waited until Thursday before a game against the Anaheim Ducks — the team the Predators beat last May to clinch their first Western Conference title.