Given the NHL’s playoff structure, it seems unlikely the Penguins and Maple Leafs would meet in the postseason this year before the Eastern Conference final.
But Saturday night’s game between the teams could very well have a playoff feel to it.
The Penguins and Maple Leafs come into their second meeting of the season at PPG Paints Arena as two of the hottest teams in the NHL. Both are unbeaten in their last five games. Toronto is 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, the Penguins are 8-1-1.
“They're dangerous,” Matt Murray said Friday. “They’re the kind of team where you give them half a step and they're by you making plays.