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Penguins face Maple Leafs, indoors

Jan 3, 2008 - 1:41 PM Toronto (16-16-8) at Pittsburgh (21-16-2) 7:30 pm EST

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - Fresh off a victory in the Winter Classic, the Pittsburgh Penguins are heading home and back indoors.

The Penguins will look to continue their hot play when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Pittsburgh earned a 2-1 shootout victory on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium as part of the NHL's Winter Classic - the first ever NHL game held outdoors in the United States. Lost in the spectacle was the Penguins fourth win in a row and sixth in eight games.

Sidney Crosby notched the game-winner in the shootout and has tallied nine points over the past sixth games. His 53 points this season is tops on the the team and just five points back of league leader Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Maple Leafs earned a shootout win on Tuesday as well, taking down the Lightning, 4-3, when top scorer Mats Sundin notched the deciding goal in the shootout. The win snapped a three-game slide for the Toronto and pulled their record back to .500.

The Leafs currently sit in last place in the Northeast Division due mainly to a defense that has yielded a division-high 127 goals in 40 games. Top goaltender Vesa Toskala currently ranks 23rd in the NHL with a 2.62 goals-against average.

Toronto has won two of three meetings against the Penguins this season, totaling 13 goals in the three contests.