| TORONTO — If Sidney Crosby is not at the top of anyone’s list of the best players in the game Joakim Nordstrom Jersey Womens , he is only a notch or two below it.When the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, however, Crosby will still be looking for his first goal of the season.Meanwhile, Toronto’s rising star and quickly becoming one of hockey’s elite players, Auston Matthews, has been scoring at will this season.Article continues below ...The center has 10 goals already, despite not scoring Monday night in a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, after notching at least one goal in each of Toronto’s first six games.Matthews did have two assists, which gives him at least two points in each of his first seven games, the fifth player in NHL history to do so to open a season.“He’s a real player, he’s just growing, he’s just a kid and he’s going to get better,” Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “He’s dangerous when he’s on the ice and that line is a good line right now. We’re fortunate that we appear to have quite a bit of depth Christopher Tanev Jersey , we’re still kind of evolving, trying to figure out how we’re going to play everybody, but I think we’re going in the right direction.”Crosby was held off the score sheet Tuesday in the 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks and has four assists in the Penguins’ first five games.Penguins coach Mike Sullivan believes that Crosby’s scoring problems are part of a general problem affecting the team.“Just like our team, I think one of the things we’re trying to encourage Sid to do is shoot the puck a little bit more, simplify his game,” Sullivan told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I just think he’s too good of a player not to break out of this. We just have to stick with it. Just keep working through it and not get discouraged.”Crosby has taken seven shots on goal in the past four games.“I think for the most part, as far as scoring chances go, we’ve had enough to win games,” Crosby said. “(Tuesday’s loss was) another example. I felt like we generated some good ones, but we’re going to play some games that are tight, and you’ve got to capitalize on the ones you get.”Sullivan said, “He had some Grade-A chances. He had a couple of real high-quality chances. He seemed to have a few in the last couple of games. The puck just won’t seem to go in the net for him right now. He’s too good of a player to keep off the score sheet.”With Toronto’s William Nylander not playing because of a stalled contract negotiation, Kasperi Kapanen is taking advantage of his chance to play with Matthews Authentic Daniel Sedin Jersey , who has six assists. Kapanen scored twice Monday and has four goals this season.“It’s not just Auston, obviously he’s had a tremendous start to the season, but it’s also Patty (Marleau),” Kapanen said. “Playing with those two, it’s amazing, it feels easy and it’s just clicking right now. I’m just enjoying it and trying to get better day by day. I know we have a couple of notches still left.”The Penguins could have their No. 1 goaltender, Matt Murray, starting Thursday. Murray missed one game after being diagnosed with a concussion. He has been out since Oct. 8. He was backup to Casey DeSmith for two games, including Tuesday.Murray allowed 11 goals in his first two games and Sullivan thought the goaltender would benefit from watching a couple of games from the bench before making his first start since the concussion.The Maple Leafs will likely be without their No. 1 goalie, Frederik Andersen, because of a sore knee, which developed during the 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals Saturday.“I felt it, but it didn’t flare up too much Womens Derek Dorsett Jersey ,” Andersen said. “And then (Sunday), it was swelling just a little bit more. So that’s where we are. Nothing too serious but preventing me to be in some positions.”Garret Sparks took his place Monday and stopped 33 of 34 shots. He could get the start again Thursday if Andersen is not ready. OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Mike Hoffman joked with Robin Lehner earlier in the day that he was going to get a goal against his former teammate.Hours later Hoffman did just that, scoring 1:13 into overtime Thursday night to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.Hoffman took a cross-ice pass from Erik Karlsson and beat Lehner with a one-timer from the left side to end Ottawa’s two-game skid.Article continues below ...”We were fortunate enough to catch them in a middle of a change and Karlsson made a great play and I just tried to hit the net,” Hoffman said. ”The ice is a little choppy in overtime and you never try to put one in the top corner, it’s more so just getting the puck on net and that’s what I tried to do.”Marian Gaborik and Derick Brassard also scored for the Senators, who rallied after trailing twice in the third period. Craig Anderson made 23 saves.Scott Wilson and Evan Rodrigues scored in regulation for the Sabres, and Lehner finished with 33 saves to fall to 5-0-3 against his former team.”He played terrific and he always seems to bring his best against Ottawa,” Sabres forward Kyle Okposo said of Lehner. ”It wasn’t a clean game and I thought our effort was sporadic. I thought in the second period they absolutely dominated us. We’ve got to better.’Brassard sent the game to overtime after tying the score 2-2 with 30.9 seconds left in regulation.”We got exactly what we deserved. The compete, the battles, (Ottawa) won the majority of them and even though we somehow found a way to get a 2-1 lead, we’ve played much better than that in the last three or four games,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said.”It’s a good learning lesson for our guys that you have to come to play and prepare and compete every night.”Gaborik Auston Matthews Jersey , making his Senators debut after being acquired from Los Angeles on Tuesday night, tied it 1-1 when he tipped a point shot from Karlsson past Lehner at 5:15 of the third.”I felt good right from the get go. Got use to some systems and some basic rules of thumb and I think it worked out pretty well,” said Gaborik, who also had an assist. ”We battled right to the end and I think their goalie held them in there. Happy to get going on a winning note.”Rodrigues put Buffalo back ahead with 4 1/2 minutes left as he took a pass from Kyle Okposo and beat Anderson off the post and in for his fourth of the season.Earlier in the third, the Sabres had their best offensive pressure of the game during a power play when they kept the puck in the Senators end for the entire two minutes. Kyle Okposo and Ryan O’Reilly both hit the post with shots, but that was as close as Buffalo got during the advantage.The Senators outshot the Sabres 22-12 over the first two periods and had four power plays to just one for the Sabres, but the only goal came 6:31 into the game as Wilson took a shot from the faceoff circle that beat Anderson on the short side. The puck was lobbed into the Senators end before being bobbled by the defensive pairing of Mark Borowiecki and Thomas Chabot and ended up on Wilson’s stick.NOTES: Nick Shore also made his Senators debut after coming over with Gaborik in the deal the sent Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson to the Kings. … Alexandre Burrows and Frederik Claesson sat out for the Senators. Burrows was serving the fourth game of a 10-game suspension for kneeing Taylor hall of the New Jersey Devils in the head. … Jack Eichel, Jordan Nolan and Justin Falk were scratched by the Sabres. … Buffalo has points in 10 straight games (7-0-3) against the Senators.UP NEXTSabres: Host Lost Angeles on Saturday.Senators: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday. |
