Proteau: Leafs vs. Penguins Recap

LEAFS PUT TONS OF SHOTS ON PENS' MURRAY, BUT HAVE WIN STREAK SNAPPED AT FIVE GAMES
The Leafs were riding a five-game win streak entering Thursday's game, but had their work cut out for them against a difficult Pittsburgh Penguins squad. And so, despite goaltender Frederik Andersen returning to action from a lower-body injury and stopping 35 of 36 shots faced, Toronto's offense was plugged up in front of netminder Matt Murray.

To wit: eight Leafs skaters had at least three shots on Murray - and they were led by centre Nazem Kadri (who registered five shots) and centre John Tavares (four shots) - yet Pittsburgh's players managed to either get in front of those shots and block them, or get a stick on the puck and deflect it out of Murray's way. And so a power-play goal from Evgeni Malkin at the 11:42 mark of the first period put pressure on the home team to get a tying-goal in the third frame.
Toronto turned up the energy in the third, outshooting Pittsburgh 16-11, but with the Leafs' net empty for the extra attacker, the Penguins scored two empty-net goals - the first from Malkin with 2:07 left in regulation time, and the second from defenseman Kris Letang with 1:08 left in the period - to seal the win and end the Buds' five-game win streak.
The Leafs' next opponent will be the St. Louis Blues, who come to Scotiabank Arena Saturday night. And if Toronto can get as many shots as they did Thursday - a grand total of 38, tied with the Penguins - while Andersen plays well again, they'll give the Blues a solid test.