Five Takeaways - Leafs at Penguins - 02/17/18

1. In change from recent hot streak, Leafs give up first goal of game, trail early in opening period.No NHL team has more consecutive wins at the moment than the Leafs did prior to Saturday's game against Pittsburgh; Toronto has five straight victories (and had won nine of their past 10 contests) heading into the road game, and in each of those five wins, the Buds had scored the first goal of the matchup. But they were facing a Penguins squad that's won three in a row - and one that has an impressive 22-7-1 record at home - so it wasn't a surprise that the Pens would be a danger to them.

And that's what they were to start the night: after Leafs winger Zach Hyman was robbed by Penguins goaltender Matt Murray with a terrific glove save, Pittsburgh moved down to the other end of the ice on a 3-on-2 rush, and winger Carl Hagelin finished off a slick passing play from winger Bryan Rust to score his seventh goal of the season and give the home side a 1-0 lead at 3:23 of the opening period. Like Toronto, the Pens also have been one of the league's better teams in their past 10 games (posting an 8-1-1 mark in that span), and they got a combination of excellent netminding and pinpoint passing and finishing to carve out the first lead of the game.

2. Buds tie score, then take lead as Bozak contributes goal and assist. Veteran centre Tyler Bozak is one of Toronto's longest-serving players, and the 31-year-old showed Saturday he's still capable of producing multi-point games, putting up a goal and an assist in the first period to push the Leafs ahead 2-1 midway through the frame. Bozak's assist came first, as he won a battle for the puck along the boards to the right of Murray before getting it to winger James van Riemsdyk, who immediately passed it out in front to winger Connor Brown; Brown beat Murray for his 13th goal of the year and the game-tying marker at 6:41 of the first.

Three minutes and 59 seconds after that, Bozak put the Buds up 2-1 when blueliner Travis Dermott's shot bounced out to him to the left of Murray, and Bozak knocked the puck into Pittsburgh's net on his backhand for his ninth of the season. Bozak isn't on the same offensive pace as he was last season, but his wealth of experience - Saturday's game was his 572nd in the NHL - makes him a valued roster member.
3. Penguins even things up before first intermission, move ahead in one-sided start to middle period.The Leafs' lead didn't last long - 71 seconds, to be exact - before centre Evgeni Malkin made it a 2-2 game with his 33rd goal of the season, and the teams headed to the dressing room for the first intermission all tied up. However, once the second period began, the Penguins found another gear - and for the first 11 minutes of the frame, Toronto could not match it.

To wit: Pittsburgh completely dominated the Buds on the shot counter, outshooting Toronto 10-0 in the first 10 minutes of the second. The Leafs didn't record their first shot on net until the 11-minute mark, and when the possession game is that one-sided, it's usually only a matter of time until the team that's being dominated gives up a goal. That's precisely what happened at 5:21 of the period, when rookie centre Zach Aston-Reese netted his third goal of the season to give the Penguins a 3-2 advantage.

4. Marleau hits 20-goal plateau, knots score at three apiece before second intermission.The Buds were outplayed in the first half of the second period, but they rebounded in the second half of the frame, finishing with 11 shots on net in the period. They also forced Pittsburgh into two penalties in the frame, and on the second man advantage, forward Patrick Marleau took a solid pass from Brown and beat Murray for his 20th goal of the season to make it a 3-3 game at the 15:46 mark.

Getting to at least 20 goals for the 15th time in his 20-year NHL career underscored how consistent Marleau has been, and hitting the mark in his first year in Toronto underscored what a great pickup he's been for the Leafs. The 38-year-old puts himself in good positions at both ends of the rink night after night, and his third power play goal of the year proves he can get the job done in all situations.

5. Defensive miscues pile up, prove to be Leafs' undoing in third .Despite their win streak, Toronto hasn't been playing ideal defensive hockey, and that came back to haunt them against the deep and potent Penguins in the third period: Pittsburgh blueliner Olli Maata put his team ahead for good at the 7:56 mark of the period on a slap shot that went through traffic and past Andersen, who didn't see it coming at all; and Rust provided the insurance marker with 3:24 left in regulation to secure the Penguins' 11th consecutive home victory.

More often than not in their hot streak, the Leafs have been outshot by their opponents, but have emerged with wins because of Andersen's superb play and opportunistic showings in the offensive zone. But on this occasion - with the Pens outshooting them 39-32 on the night - Andersen couldn't bail them out and their offense didn't have enough in the tank to keep running-and-gunning with Sidney Crosby & Co. The Buds will get the chance to right the ship right away, as they head to Detroit to take on the Red Wings Sunday night, but they'll need to be more structured and disciplined in their own end if they're going to get back to the win column.