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The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Toronto looking for their fifth straight victory.

Jonathan Gruden remains a solid option for the Pittsburgh Penguins fourth line.

PITTSBURGH -- With four straight wins and points in seven straight, the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the playoff conversation. Both the wild card and final Metropolitan Division spot are within reach with five games remaining in the regular season. 

Pittsburgh's final games will be difficult, as they'll take on two teams that already clinched a playoff spot, a wildcard team in the Western Conference, and two other challengers for the final playoff spot in the East. Needing a win, here's what to watch for as the Penguins battle the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

1. Malkin Peaking at Perfect Time

Evgeni Malkin notched his 25th goal of the season in the Penguins' win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, marking the 12th time he's hit that number. It's been an excellent run of games for Geno, with nine points in his last six games. His line is firing on all cylinders, and Malkin looks like a classic version of himself. With just a few games remaining, can Malkin continue this torrid pace and help the Pens secure a playoff berth?

2. Matthews' Race to 70

When you play Toronto, everyone knows to prepare for Auston Matthews. He's having a career year in the goal-scoring department, with 64 goals in 77 games played. Already with the two highest-scoring seasons in team history, Matthews has a legitimate chance to hit the 70-goal mark. He'll need six more goals over the last five games to do so. The Penguins are hopeful he can collect those tallies elsewhere.

3. Special Teams Battle

The key to victory in this game is the battle of special teams units. The Penguins have silently been a top-10 penalty-killing unit all season, shutting down 81% of the power play opportunities against them. The Maple Leafs possess an equally dynamic power-play unit, ranking seventh in the league this year with a 24.3% success rate. Which unit will get the better of the action in this critical game? 

The Penguins and Maple Leafs meet at the Scotiabank Arena for a 7:00 p.m. face-off. 

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