• Who: Penguins (15-11-9) vs. Maple Leafs (15-15-5)
• What: NHL regular season, Game 36
• When: 4:07 p.m.
• Where: Scotiabank Arena
• Goaltenders: Stuart Skinner (11-10-4, .886 SV%) vs. Joseph Woll (5-4-1 .925 SV%)
• TV: TNT
• Stream: HBO Max
• Radio: Penguins Radio Network
• Boxscore: NHL.com
• Media notes: Penguins | Maple Leafs
► FOLLOW ALONG
• The final horn sounds. This one’s over. Tied it up, only to fall apart yet again. FINAL: Maple Leafs 6, Penguins 3
• PENALTY: Myers cross-checks McGroarty in front of the net. Penguins on the power play with less than a minute to go.
• GOAL: Another empty-netter. Nylander. Maple Leafs, 6-3
• GOAL: Right after the Penguins pull Skinner for the extra attacker, McMann picks up a rebound after Karlsson shot the puck. Free ice all the way down for the easy empty-net goal. Unassisted. Time of goal: 17:57. Maple Leafs, 5-3
• TV timeout. Time running out for the Penguins. And the Maple Leafs have taken over the shot advantage, 28-27. 5:44 remaining to at least tie it up.
• GOAL: Domi just flat out beats Kulak. Dangles around him on the rush, then beats Skinner. Assists: Ekman-Larsson, Nylander. Time of goal: 11:35. Maple Leafs, 4-3
• PENALTY: Nylander is now slashed by Kindel on a breakaway. But no penalty shot awarded. Maple Leafs go to a 4-on-3 power play. Time of penalty: 9:57.
• PENALTY: Just 31 seconds into the Maple Leafs’ powerplay, Maccelli is called for slashing Shea. Time of penalty: 9:41.
• PENALTY: The first power play of the game goes to the Maple Leafs. Karlsson trips Tavares on his entry into the Pittsburgh zone. Time of penalty: 9:10.
• A couple good chances for the Penguins just now. St. Ivany nearly beat Woll over his left shoulder just now, but the goaltender just got a piece of it.
• TV timeout. Maple Leafs have pushed back a bit after Mantha’s game-tying goal. Skinner’s stood tall. Penguins are also doing a good job of limiting dangerous shots right now.
• Karlsson turns the puck over to McMann at his own blue line. Maple Leafs get a three-on-1. Domi has a great chance, but Skinner goes out aggressively to the top of his crease and makes the save.
• GOAL: Mantha. He rips a one-timer from the point. Lots of traffic in front screened Woll, including Brazeau. Assists: Wotherspoon, Brazeau. Time of goal: 1:00. Tied, 3-3
• Penguins still maintain the advantage in shots, 21-19.
• End of the second period. Another chance for the Penguins near the end of the period. Rakell tries to tip a shot at the front of the net. Woll gets a piece of it, the puck pops up and lands on the top of the net and rolls off to the side. So close. Yet, Penguins still trail. Maple Leafs, 3-2
• Brazeau’s been hunched over on the bench for a couple minutes now. Trainer came over to talk to him. Something to watch in the third period.
• McGroarty is flying right now. Had a chance short side along the goal line, then another shot off the rush from the left wing.
• GOAL: McGroarty. The kid line establishes some zone time. A shot from Shea at the point hits bodies in front, then McGroarty grabs the puck and snipes it over Woll’s glove. Unassisted. Time of goal: 11:43. Maple Leafs, 3-2
• Penguins have no hop in their step right now. Can’t establish any kind of forecheck right now. It’s one-and-done.
• GOAL: Karlsson tries to dance at the blue line, but Lorentz strips him for a breakaway. Skinner stops the first try on the backhand, but Lorentz stays after it and buries the second chance. Unassisted. Time of goal: 7:38. Maple Leafs, 3-1
• Kulak just had an all-time turnover in the left corner of his own zone. Maple Leafs get multiple cracks at Skinner all alone, and he denies both attempts. Lucky to still be 2-1 now.
• Maple Leafs have punched back a little bit to start the period. Skinner’s had to make a couple saves. Toronto spending a good amount of time in the Pittsburgh zone.
• A couple chances for both sides, but neither team scores on the 4-on-4.
• Matthews wins the draw against Crosby, and the second period is underway. 4-on-4 for two minutes.
• The Brazeau-Novak-Mantha line had a CF% of 85.71 in the first period. Seemingly spent the entire period in the Toronto zone.
• McMann and Letang were given roughing minors at the end of the period. There was a scrum in the corner when the period came to an end. It’ll be two minutes of 4-on-4 to start the second period.
• End of the first period. Penguins have a 12-7 advantage in shots. A whacky goal is what separates the two teams right now. Maple Leafs, 2-1
• Oh, man. Tanev with a terrible turnover directly to Mantha, who was all alone in the slot. He rips a slapper, but Woll somehow stops it with his pad. Woll thought he got beat, looking behind him after the shot. Alas, no goal. Golden opportunity wasted.
• GOAL: Maccelli throws a puck toward the net, which ricochets off Wotherspoon’s attempt to clear the puck to the wall and slides through Skinner’s five hole. Whacky goal, but a goal nonetheless. And a bad one to give up after tying it quickly. Assists: Nylander, Myers. Time of goal: 13:34. Maple Leafs, 2-1
• The kid line with some nice puck movement in the offensive zone. Karlsson with a nice keep. McGroarty finds Karlsson at the top of the left circle, but Woll denies him.
• GOAL: Penguins answer right back. Crosby springs Rust free for a breakaway, who then pulls the same move Nylander did on Skinner. Assists: Crosby, Letang. Time of goal: 9:51. Tied, 1-1
• GOAL: Hayes made a great series of plays to keep possession, but then turns it over to spring Nylander free on a breakaway. He pulls it to his backhand and pushes it past Skinner. Unassisted. Time of goal: 9:07. Maple Leafs, 1-0
• TV timeout. Penguins have the shot advantage, 4-2. Faceoff coming up in the Pittsburgh zone.
• NO GOAL: It is deemed Brazeau pushed Woll’s glove, which is ruled goaltender interference. Game remains tied.
• Toronto is challenging for goaltender interference. Precedent is … who knows …
• GOAL: Brazeau jams home a puck in the crease from a wraparound by Novak. Officials quickly review it, but deem Brazeau was making a play on the puck. Time of goal: 7:26. Penguins, 1-0
• Skinner with a big save on a shot by Myers off the faceoff in the Pittsburgh zone.
• A dangerous chance for Rust. Rakell dropped it for him on the rush then cleared the path to the net. Woll with the save.
• Nice early save by Skinner on Domi. Came off a nice feed from Matthews from behind the net.
• FACEOFF: Sidney Crosby vs. Auston Matthews and we’re underway.
• Always love hearing both national anthems.
• The Penguins are wearing their gold alternate sweaters. Skinner is wearing a plain white mask that’s got a small Penguins logo on each side.
• The Maple Leafs activated defenseman Chris Tanev from injured reserve. Their lines and pairings:
Bobby McMann – Auston Matthews – Max Domi
Matias Maccelli – Jonathan Tavares – William Nylander
Matthew Knies – Nicolas Roy – Nicholas Robertson
Dakota Joshua – Scott Laughton – Steven Lorentz
Morgan Rielly – Phillippe Myers
Jake McCabe – Troy Stecher
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Chris Tanev
• Penguins’ lines and pairings:
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Rickard Rakell – Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar – Kevin Hayes – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak – Kris Letang
Ryan Shea – Jack St. Ivany