The Pittsburgh Penguins may have lost, but an overtime point against the Toronto Maple Leafs will go a long way.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are down to their final games of the 2023-24 season, and the playoffs are within striking distance. Riding a four-game winning streak, the Penguins traveled north of the border to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Penguins had no more easy tests heading down the stretch, and the Maple Leafs were just another tough bump in the road. The Penguins stuck with the same lineup from front to back, hoping to continue the hot streak.

The last time the Penguins visited the Maple Leafs, they suffered their biggest loss of the season by losing 7-0.

First Period

The Penguins came out blazing to kick off the contest. Maintaining good pressure and keeping the Maple Leafs offense away from the puck as much as possible was working in their favor.

The Penguins missed a pair of power play chances, but they at least ensured Alex Nedeljkovic didn’t get any tough early tests.

With only a few minutes remaining in the period, the Penguins were finally rewarded for their hard work. The second line of Evgeni Malkin, Michael Buntin, and Rickard Rakell were buzzing to start the game and capitalized to take a 1-0 lead.

As an added bonus, the tally was Rakell’s 200^th career goal.

It was the Penguins' fifth straight game in which they scored first, taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Second Period

To open the second frame, the Maple Leafs applied a lot of offensive pressure to take control. Their early push paid off, as they took advantage of some tired Penguins to knot the score at one.

With momentum on their side, the Maple Leafs continued to press the Penguins in the early stages of the second period.

The Penguins battled back, but their power play failed them miserably. Neither team took the lead to close out the second frame, and the Penguins entered the second intermission 0/5 with the man advantage.

In the dying minutes, it looked like Sidney Crosby was in some pain on three separate occasions. However, he didn’t miss too much time and wrapped up the period without any problems.

Third Period

With the score tied at one after two periods, the Penguins heading for one of the most important third periods of their season.

While the Penguins power play was letting them down, the Maple Leafs made sure to not waste any time with their second man advantage chance. Right off a face-off win, Auston Matthews slapped home his 65th goal of the season.

Despite being down by one in a tough game, the Penguins kept fighting and showed signs of life. A point shot from P.O. Joseph set behind the Maple Leafs netminder and Drew O'Connor cleaned up the garbage to tie the game at two.

With the score tied in the closing minutes, securing even an overtime point would be huge for their postseason hopes.

The buzzer sounded to end regulation and force overtime, but the Penguins claimed that huge point.

Overtime

Lars Eller missed an opportunity in the opening seconds then didn't leave the ice surface for the remainder of the game. The Maple Leafs caught the Penguins in their zone for the next minute and scored the game winner with ease.

It was a tough overtime period for the Penguins, but taking even just one point against arguably their toughest opponent in their late-season stretch will be huge for them. The Penguins have recorded a standings point in nine straight games and are still right on the footstep of a playoff spot.

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