Regressing Toronto Maple Leafs travel to play against the in-form Pittsburgh Penguins – NHL Preview
For the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs, taking a road trip to play against the in-form Pittsburgh Penguins only adds to their misery and dejection.
Penguins are in thundering form and are ranked second in the Atlantic Division whereas Leafs are still out of the comfort zone of National Hockey League (NHL) Eastern Conference.
As both sides prepare to play on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the odds are certainly favouring Penguins. Let’s have a look at both teams.
Leafs
Leafs are undergoing one of their worst phases. They have only won two out of their last 13 games with the recent defeat coming against Boston Bruins.
Leafs went neck and neck with Bruins in the first period where both teams scored apiece.
In the second period, Leafs scored two goals while conceding four. Leafs scored another goal in the final period, but still fell one goal short.
Leafs’ coach, Randy Carlyle, said of the game:
"You've got enough goals to win the hockey game. It's the defensive aspect of it that needs to be improved upon. ... Tonight was just another indication of the amount work that's necessary on the defensive side of (the game) and the compete side of it and
1-on-1 battles side of it.”
Leafs are ranked at 12th spot in the Eastern Conference with 67 points after 66 games.
Penguins
Presently on a six-game winning streak, Penguins are ranked at fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with 83 points after 65 games.
The recent victories came against New York Rangers (2-0), Tampa Bay Lightning (8-1), Columbus Blue Jackets (4-2), Dallas Stars (4-3 after shootout), Colorado Avalanche (5-1) and Phoenix Coyotes (2-1).
Penguins are performing incredibly well and their line-up might get strengthened in the days to come as their captain, Sidney Crosby, is recovering fast from concussion.
Although no exact date can be given regarding his return, it is expected that he could join the sign within this or next week.
Crosby said of his health and return:
"I'm going to give myself days, for sure, of contact. If you look at our schedule, we have two more practices, I think, this week. No sooner than Sunday (versus Boston) I would say, but I'm not going to sit here and put a date on it. It would be total guesswork."
Predictions
Penguins have an edge over Leafs.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might exceed six.
If Leafs win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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