Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins Vs Toronto Maple Leafs
The Pittsburgh Penguins (1-0) look to continue their fast start tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs (0-1). The puck drops tonight at 7:00 PM in Toronto.
Pittsburgh is coming off of a 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, while Toronto is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadians.
Recently the Pittsburgh Penguins have made some roster moves, including bringing young defender Scott Harrington back to the NHL. Yet, despite making some changes to their team the Penguins plan to use the same lineup against the Maple Leafs.
The projected lineups look something like this:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Kunitz – Sidney Crosby – Patric Hornqvist
Pascal Dupuis – Brandon Sutter – Evgeni Malkin
Blake Comeau – Marcel Goc – Steve Downie
Zach Sill – Nick Spaling – Craig Adams
Christian Ehrhoff – Kris Letang
Scratches: Robert Bortuzzo, Scott Harrington, Beau Bennett, Andrew Ebbett
Toronto Maple Leafs
James Van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel
Joffrey Lupul – Nazem Kadri – Brandon Kozun
Leo Komarov – Mike Santorelli – David Clarkson
Daniel Winnik – Peter Holland – Richard Panik
Dion Phaneuf – Stephane Robidas
Players to Watch
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Pascal Dupuis:
Dupuis made a spectacular return from injury during the season opening 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Currently, Dupuis is tied for the league lead in scoring and will look to continue the fast start against a Maple Leafs team that has been less than solid defensively.
Nov 13, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) skates into the offensive zone along with right wing Pascal Dupuis (9) against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Flyers won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sidney Crosby:
After a long offseason of rehabilitating his wrist, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain made a statement in his first game back. Scoring twice against Anaheim and helping out on another goal. Every season by default, Crosby is a favorite to run away with the scoring race but something was different in his first game back. He looked even better than last season, not only his shot but his entire game.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Phil Kessel:
Last season Phil Kessel had one of the better years of his career. He managed to post 80 points (37 G – 43 A) in 82 games. In the season opener Kessel was a -2 skater and held off of the score sheet. I do not expect that to be the case against Pittsburgh, Kessel is too talented to be shut out in consecutive games. Especially playing with fellow Maple Leaf James Van Riemsdyk, who has become a major weapon on their top line.
Apr 8, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf (3) and right wing Phil Kessel (81) talk against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Dion Phaneuf:
Dion Phaneuf has an interesting history against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Most of the time he is held off of the score sheet, but he also has done an excellent job of holding Crosby off the score sheet. Phaneuf and Crosby have as big of a rivalry as a defender and a center can have. While they both respect each other, they usually end up playing most of the game against each other and recently Phaneuf has been more effective in his role.