Penguins defeat Maple Leafs for 11th straight home win

PITTSBURGH -- Evgeni Malkin scored his 900th NHL point, and the Pittsburgh Penguins won their 11th straight game at home, 5-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

Malkin reached the milestone when he scored to tie it 2-2 at 11:51 of the first period. Carl Hagelin passed to Bryan Rust at the right post, who knocked the puck out of the air back across the crease to Malkin, who shot past goalie Frederik Andersen.
Malkin, who finished the game with a goal and two assists, became the fourth player in Penguins history to reach 900 points, joining Mario Lemieux (1,723), Sidney Crosby (1,093) and Jaromir Jagr (1,079). He has 20 points (12 goals, eight assists) in his past 10 games, and 31 (19 goals, 12 assists) in his past 18.
WATCH: [All Maple Leafs vs. Penguins highlights]
"[The milestone] means I play with a great team," Malkin said. "I play here for so long. I always play with great teammates, great linemates. [Penguins coach Mike Sullivan] gives me so many minutes to play. I play power play too, on the first unit.
"It's amazing to be here. I enjoy it every day. It's a good number."
Pittsburgh (34-22-4), which has won four straight games and nine of its past 11, pulled to within one point of the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

The 11-game home winning streak is the longest since they won a Penguins-record 13 straight from Nov. 15, 2013-Jan. 15, 2014.
"I give our players a lot of credit," Sullivan said. "They were playing hard. We had some offensive-zone time. We were hanging on to pucks, and that's how we can control territory and control momentum. We were able to get the fifth goal because of it. So, it was a strong effort on our guys' part."
Andersen made 34 saves for Toronto (35-20-5), which had won five straight. The Maple Leafs are in third in the Atlantic Division, six points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and three behind the Boston Bruins.
"You want to be playing well against these teams," Andersen said. "We were close to winning again today, but these are good teams. So, sometimes you're going to get the short end of the stick. But it's positive we're playing well, but we have to keep working."
Olli Maatta sent a slap shot past a screened Andersen to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead at 7:56 of the third period. The goal was Maatta's first in 26 games. Rust extended the lead to 5-3 at 16:36.

Hagelin scored to make it 1-0 at 3:23 of the first period, redirecting a pass from Rust from between the circles. Connor Brown tied it 1-1 at 6:41 with a one-timer from in front after James van Riemsdyk sent him a pass from behind the net. Tyler Bozak gave Toronto a 2-1 lead with a backhand off a rebound at 10:40.
Zach Aston-Reese gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead at 5:21 of the second period when he used his skate to kick a rebound to his stick and scored on the backhand.
Patrick Marleau tied it 3-3 with a power-play goal at 15:46. The goal gave him 20 for the third consecutive season.
"It's better when those goals get a win. It's a little more enjoyable," Marleau said.. "If you give [the Penguins] chances, turnovers, stuff like that, they'll capitalize. If you limit those, you give yourself a better chance."

Goal of the game

Maatta's goal at 7:56 of the third period.

Save of the game

Matt Murray's save on Nazem Kadri at 13:09 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Malkin's goal at 11:51 of the first period.

They said it

"Personally, I think I just have to get more shots through to hit the net. That might happen." -- Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta
"We generated a lot, but three or four of our best chances, we couldn't get a shot on net. I'd say that was a high-event game. … If you're a fan, you had to be entertained." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock

Need to know

Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman temporarily left at 9:17 of the third period after Maatta hit him into the end boards. Following the game, Hyman said he felt fine after going through the concussion protocol. … Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner played after sustaining a lower-body injury during Toronto's 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday and missing practice Friday. He had one hit and one block in 24:23. … Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz did not play with an undisclosed illness. … Penguins forward Jake Guentzel played his 100th NHL game. He has 63 points (34 goals, 29 assists).

What's next

Maple Leafs: At the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; SN, FS-D, NHL.TV)
Penguins: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; FS-O, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)