Pens Power Past Leafs, 5-2

Coming off a big win in Philadelphia Thursday night against their biggest rivals, the Penguins continued their 4-game road trip with a Saturday evening Hockey Night in Canada affair against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs' have had the Penguins number this decade, winning the season series from Pittsburgh in 7 of the last 8 seasons.

Of course, some of those years were pretty lean ones for the Penguins, but the Boys of Winter have always had trouble with Toronto for some reason.

Witness their ability to turn a 2-0 lead into a 6-2 meltdown loss in the Valentine's Day Massacre that was former coach Michel Therrein's final game behind a Penguin bench last season.

Not so last night at the Air Canada center.

The Penguins' stepped on the gas from the opening faceoff and steamrolled the Leafs' by a score of 5-2.

They went out to a 2-0 lead at the first intermission on an even strength goal by Matt Cooke and a power play marker by Sergei Gonchar.

Cooke's goal -- his 100th career tally -- was made possible after a Toronto turnover in their own zone, which MC made no mistake in burying to the top corner from 35 feet.

Pittsburgh outshot the Leafs 14-2 in the first period on Toronto's own home ice.

That's right, 14-2.

Toronto got back within one early in the second period, but taking a step forward for the Leafs these days means taking two steps back, and that's exactly what they did when Matt Stajan took an offensive zone penalty seconds later.

Sidney Crosby made the Leafs' pay while on the man-advantage to up the Pens' lead back to 2 when he put a rebound of a Malkin shot that came off the back boards into a mostly empty net.

Later in the 2nd, Crosby scored his second power play goal by tipping a Malkin shot by then-beleaguered Leafs' netminder Vesa Toskala.

Pittsburgh was 3 for 3 on the power play at that point in the game.

Nicklas Hagman got Toronto another marker early in the final frame, but sticking to the same script, the Pens' came right back about a minute later on a goal by Jordan Staal to up their lead to what would be the final score, 5-2.

Staal nailed a top corner wrister after taking a pass from Evgeni Malkin. Malkin created a turnover on the forecheck on the play, and quickly found Staal in the slot for the one-timer.

Malkin - getting more shifts with Staal on his RW in this game, just like he did on Thursday -- finished the night with 3 helpers.

The Penguins outshot Toronto 33-20.

Marc-Andre Fleury, now 4-0 on the season, finished with 18 saves.

Pittsburgh has now started the season 3-0 on the road for only the 2nd time in franchise history.

With the Flyers' shootout loss to Anaheim last night, the Penguins moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division with 8 points so far. They also pace the entire NHL with that number.

They continue their road trip on Monday in Ottawa against the Senators.

NOTES:

Defenseman Kris Letang suited up for the Pens' last night and played with no apparent problem following the incident at the end of the game against the Flyers on Thursday night when Philadelphia forward Scott Hartnell bit him on the finger. Hartnell had a disciplinary hearing with the league on Friday, but was not suspended -- apparently because of the lack of video evidence to prove that the bite occurred.

I suppose the teeth marks in Letang's finger weren't enough.