The combination of Michael Bunting, Blake Lizotte, and Anthony Beauvillier has been paying dividends for the Penguins so far - and they may be the third line the Penguins have been looking for. Fresh off a lackluster loss on Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins used their special teams to overpower the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-tor/2024/12/07/2024020433/summary] 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday. The Penguins did blow two one-goal leads in the first two periods, but a strong third, aided by two late shorthanded goals, helped seal the team's 12th win. Let's discuss some takeaways from Pittsburgh's fourth win in five games. SPECIAL TEAMS TAKE CENTER STAGE The Penguins opened the contest with a power-play goal, netting their second of the night in the third period to break a 2-2 tie. Then, to close the game, they tallied two empty-net shorthanded goals. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTR2qDmCev0[/embed] Four of their five lamplighters came via special teams, marking the first time this season that the Penguins have scored multiple power-play and shorthanded goals in the same game. Historically, Saturday night's memorable outburst is the first time since Oct. 21, 2006, that Pittsburgh had multiple goals of the same variety in a game. On that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Mellon Arena, the Penguins had two shorthanded and three power-play goals (accounting for all their goals) in a 5-3 victory. PENGUINS LOVE THE ATLANTIC DIVISION Thanks to their convincing win over the Maple Leafs, the Penguins are now just one game under .500, with a 12-13-4 record. As a recent takeaways post [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/three-takeaways-from-penguins-lackluster-4-2-loss-to-rangers] pointed out, the club has struggled against the Metropolitan Division. However, the opposite happens when an Atlantic Division team is on the schedule. Here's a look at Pittsburgh's win-loss record against some of the Eastern Conference's better teams: * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined Ultimately, seven of their 12 wins this year have come at the expense of the Atlantic Division. Moreover, the only team left that the Penguins have yet to play is the Ottawa Senators, who are on the schedule next week. Although the wildcard race is tight, Pittsburgh has more concerns with Metro opponents blocking them out of a playoff spot than Atlantic division foes. PITTSBURGH SPREADS OUT THE OFFENSE Saturday night was a great night to wear black and gold. Ten out of 18 skaters registered a point, with Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell each collecting two points. Considering how much offense came on special teams, it's no surprise that only one player finished with negative plus/minus totals in one of the Penguins' best complete-game efforts of the season. Additionally, Pittsburgh bounced back in the face-off circle, winning 64.7% of the draws compared to a poultry 35.3% on Friday night against New York. They also pounced on opportunities, as the Maple Leafs had 20 giveaways on the night. Although the box score indicates a 5-2 win, it wasn't easy for the Penguins, and only a strong third period gave them their fourth win in five contests. PENGUINS & MAPLE LEAFS TRIVIA ANSWERS How did you score in our Game Day Trivia [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-maple-leafs-game-day-hockey-trivia-dec-7] quiz? Here are the answers. 1. undefined 2. undefined 3. undefined 4. undefined 5. undefined 6. undefined 7. undefined 8. undefined 9. undefined 10. undefined Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwNjYwNDIwMDI3OTUwOTI5/thnpitbanner.png]
