Maple Leafs 5 - 2 Penguins
Final
  for this game

Pens host Leafs aiming to post best start since '94

Jan 23, 2013 - 3:39 PM (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins opened the season with two tough road games against divisional opponents. They are certainly happy to be coming home with a perfect record.

The Penguins look to post their best start in 17 seasons on Wednesday night as they play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pittsburgh opened this shortened campaign with road games against the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers over the weekend. It won both, downing the Flyers 3-1 on Saturday before logging a 6-3 triumph against the Rangers.

James Neal, who scored against Philadelphia, added another two goals versus the Rangers, while Evgeni Malkin had three assists and Sidney Crosby had his first point of the campaign with an assist. Tyler Kennedy, Matt Niskanen, Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang all had goals.

"It's a good start," Crosby said. "We've done a lot of good things the past couple of games. Tonight we got away from things in the third, but other than that we've played some good periods of hockey. I just want to keep that going and keep getting better."

After Marc-Andre Fleury won Pittsburgh's season opener, Tomas Vokoun made his Pens debut in net on Sunday and posted 31 saves.

Pittsburgh will now look for its best start since it matched a club record by winning seven straight to begin the lockout shortened 1994-95 campaign.

Toronto has split its first two games of the season, winning in Montreal on Saturday before dropping a 2-1 decision against visiting Buffalo on Monday.

The Maple Leafs did not find the back of the net until Nazem Kadri scored his second goal in as many games, lighting the lamp with 1:42 to play.

Toronto appeared to tie the game with 25 ticks left, but Joffrey Lupul had a goal waived off after it was ruled he punched the puck in with his hand.

"We were doing a lot of good things out there late in the game," said Toronto head coach Randy Carlyle. "I think our effort was there tonight and we had good execution, but I just don't think it was at the level it needed to be to get points."

Ben Scrivens stopped 18 shots in the loss.

The Maple Leafs and Penguins split four meetings a season ago, with each team winning twice at home. Pittsburgh has won three straight and four of its last five at home versus Toronto.






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