The Maple Leafs are seeking their fifth win in a row since the break when they visit a struggling and tired Penguins team for a rare Sunday afternoon matinee (1:00 p.m. EST, TSN4).
Game Day Quotes
Craig Berube on the challenge presented by the Penguins:
They have a good power play. They have some great players over there who have been around for a long time. They generate a lot of offense. They come at you with a lot of pressure and shoot a lot of pucks. Especially with Karlsson and Letang up there, they fire a lot of pucks.
They’re a good team around the net. They are an aggressive hockey team. They come at you and don’t give you a lot of time and space anywhere.
Berube on the keys to victory against a tired Penguins team:
We don’t get a lot of afternoon games. We have to start on time. Early on in the game, it’s about simplifying the game and not putting yourself in positions to turn pucks over. It’s a simple game. Get it in deep. Let’s put pressure on them.
They played yesterday. Let’s put pressure on them. That has to be our mindset: a hounding mindset. Keep the shifts short, roll the next line out there, and get after them that way.
For me, it is about shot attempts. Let’s get shots. Let’s shoot pucks. It’s not a bad play to shoot a puck today.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan on his experience coaching Auston Matthews at 4 Nations:
I didn’t know Auston very well going into that experience. To get to know him personally and to watch his game closer, I was so impressed with his leadership and how he leads by example. He is not an overly vocal guy or a “rah rah” guy. That is not his personality, but the way he competes and his 200-foot game… I was so impressed with his game away from the puck and his commitment to playing defense.
He knows what winning hockey is all about. That is the takeaway I came away with from watching him up close. It is his drive and passion. His work ethic in practice was terrific. He just leads by example. That is the kind of person that he is.
I could tell early on that he has an appetite to win, and he knows what it takes.
Sullivan on the keys for his team in a tired/back-to-back situation:
I think our team has handled back-to-backs well this year. A lot of it is about playing a simple and smart game, making sure we don’t beat ourselves, managing the puck the right way, and watching our shift lengths. We are going to have to use the bench.
For me, that is the most important part of it: We can’t beat ourselves. We have to manage the game. We have to take what is given out there.
Mitch Marner on his experience with Sidney Crosby as a teammate at 4 Nations:
Just the leader he is, how he goes about his business, how locked in he is, and how dialed-in he is about everything… It was really cool to be his teammate for a few weeks.
Everyone talks about his generosity and how much time he takes out of his day. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from. He takes time out of his day, hangs around, and talks about his experiences.
We had a couple of team dinners that he was very generous with.
Berube on Calle Jarnkrok nearing a return (expected Monday vs. SJ):
He brings a lot. He is a very structured player who can play all three positions. He touches a little bit of everything, in my opinion — penalty kill, and he has been used on the power play before.
He is kind of a Swiss army knife. You can use him almost anywhere. He complements good hockey players. With skilled players, he does all of the little things for them at the net front, getting pucks out of the corners, and doing the little things for them.
Marner on Jarnkrok’s game:
The speed he brings off the puck opens up ice. He doesn’t sit around the side of the net. He gets to the front. He gets himself in goalies’ eyes a lot and opens up space for other guys. That’s what I’ve found when playing with him.
Marner on the mood around the team amid a four-game winning streak out of the break:
It’s good. We are keeping it light, but at the same time, we know we haven’t played our best hockey still. We know we have better and have to be better. In saying that, we are keeping it light as well.
I think our starts have been a little weak. Our second and thirds have been a lot better than our firsts. We are trying to get ready on time and get going, not wait until the second and third.
Berube on how the 4 Nations players’ energy levels are recovering:
I have not seen their energy levels as low for the last couple of games, to be honest with you. They are playing good minutes. I don’t see it as an issue. I haven’t seen it for the last two games. They’re in good spots.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (37-20-2) vs. Penguins (24-29-9)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Toronto holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories and four out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#74 Bobby McMann — #11 Max Domi — #89 Nick Robertson
#24 Connor Dewar — #64 David Kampf — #75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#22 Jake McCabe — #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Extras: Marshall Rifai, Alex Steeves
Injured: Steven Lorentz
Injured (IR): Max Pacioretty, Chris Tanev
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lines
Forwards
#67 Rickard Rakell — #87 Sidney Crosby — #17 Bryan Rust
#72 Anthony Beauvillier — #71 Evgeni Malkin — #19 Cody Glass
#43 Danton Heinen — #13 Kevin Hayes — #53 Philip Tomasino
#52 Emil Bemstrom — #46 Blake Lizotte — #55 Noel Acciari
Defensemen
#5 Ryan Shea — #58 Kris Letang
#27 Matt Grzelcyk — #65 Erik Karlsson
#27 Ryan Graves — #7 Vincent Desharnais
Goaltenders
Starter: #30 Joel Blomqvist
#39 Alex Nedeljokic
Injured: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Michael Bunting, Jack St. Ivany
