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Penguins seek 11th straight victory in clash with Maple Leafs

Dec 8, 2010 - 3:59 PM (Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby and the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins will aim for an 11th straight victory tonight, when they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to CONSOL Energy Center.

The Penguins picked up their 10th consecutive victory on Monday, edging the visiting New Jersey Devils by a 2-1 score. The current winning streak is tied for the second-longest in club history, matching the club's run from January 28-February 15, 1999. The franchise has had only one streak longer than its present stretch and that was the Pens' NHL-record, 17-game run from March 9- April 10, 1993.

Pittsburgh, which leads the NHL with 40 points, has posted a 12-0-1 record since its last regulation loss on Nov. 10 against Boston. The Penguins have also won six straight on home ice, bringing their record at CONSOL Energy Center to 9-5-1 this season.

Crosby, Pittsburgh's captain and the league's leading scorer this year, is on a hot streak of his own right now, having registered a point in 16 straight games. He has an amazing 18 goals and 33 points during the run and leads the NHL this year with 24 goals and 48 points. The last time Crosby, whose career- best point streak was a 19-gamer from Oct. 6-Nov. 17, 2007, was held without a point was on Nov. 3 in Dallas.

Sid the Kid was the hero for Pittsburgh on Monday night, notching the eventual game-winning goal in the second period and adding an assist in the 2-1 decision over the Devils. The winning goal came with 7:11 left in the second, when Crosby one-timed the rebound of an Alex Goligoski shot from the point.

"I was just standing at the right spot," Crosby said. "I just tried to get off to the side of the net and hope something bounces over."

Chris Kunitz provided the other tally for the Penguins, who haven't lost since a 3-2 overtime decision against the New York Rangers on November 15.

Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 27-of-28 shots for the win, his 12th of the season after starting the year with a 1-6-0 record. Fleury does not have great career numbers against Toronto, going 8-7-2 with a 3.08 GAA in 18 career games versus the Leafs.

Pens forward Evgeni Malkin missed his second straight game with a nagging knee injury on Monday and the Russian forward is questionable for tonight's game. Malkin has excellent numbers against the Maple Leafs, posting 25 points (7 goals, 28 assists) in 16 career games.

Toronto has a long way to go before matching Pittsburgh's hot streak, but Ron Wilson's club has recorded wins in two straight outings after losing its previous four games.

The Maple Leafs have notched shootout victories in their last two trips to the ice, beating Boston on Saturday before edging Washington on Monday.

The most recent win came in comeback fashion, as Toronto scored three unanswered goals in the third period to send the game past regulation in D.C. Mikhail Grabovski scored the first of the third-period goals for Toronto and also scored in the second round of the shootout to help lift Toronto to the 5-4 victory over the Capitals.

"Washington got a little sloppy toward the end," Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson said. "I think they thought the game was over."

Clarke MacArthur scored twice in regulation for Toronto. Tim Brent also lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs, who also got 32 saves from Jonas Gustavsson.

Toronto has won two straight for the first time since Nov. 16-18 and will try to post three consecutive victories tonight for the first time since winning four in a row to begin the season from Oct. 7-15.

The Maple Leafs ended an eight-game road losing streak with Monday's victory, but they still have a dreadful 3-7-1 record as the visiting team this year.

Toronto recorded a 4-3 win in Pittsburgh when the clubs met back on Oct. 13, giving the Maple Leafs five victories in the last eight encounters. The Penguins have also dropped three of their last four home games against Toronto.