In the first game of Thursday night’s playoff double header the semifinal matchup between the (1) Penguins and (4) Maple Leafs came down to the closing minutes and a couple of power play goals. The Penguins roll into the playoffs with a high scoring offense and a solid defense, but it was the Maple Leafs that controlled this game early. Scoring the first goal of the game for the Maple Leafs, Sam Toso capitalized on a miscue by the Penguins goalie, Glenn McCaffrey, behind the net. As McCaffrey went behind to play the puck it got broken up and Toso found himself beside the empty net with the puck, he buried it for the early 1-0 lead. The two teams traded multiple scoring chances in the first period but Toso’s goal would be the only tally of the frame.

In the second period it was Toso striking again, just :49 seconds into the period he scored on a pass from Kyle Stevenson giving his Maple Leafs a firm 2-0 lead. The Maple Leafs continued to pick up steam and would out shoot the Penguins 15-9 in the second period. Five minutes after Toso’s 2nd goal he’d add a helper to his stat line when Brian Martin buried his pass extending the Maple Leads lead to 3 goals, an unfamiliar place for this Penguins squad. At 8:01 of the 2nd period the Maple Leafs were called for a holding penalty and that was the opportunity the Penguins needed. Jim Koehler wasted little time scoring a powerplay goal just :05 seconds into the man advantage. With new life it was the Penguins turn to rattle off some goals, less than 2 minutes after the pp goal by Koehler, Penguins captain Matt Casserly scored a seeing eye goal from the side of the net that barely crossed the line, but it crossed and the Maple Leafs lead was cut to one at 3-2.

Entering the third period the Penguins had all the momentum and it showed. Midway through the third period the game would finally get tied up at 3-3, Ian Dargon grabbed the loose puck on a mad scramble in front of Matt Lydon, the Maple Leafs netminder, sliding the puck in the net tying the score. One minute after that Tim Carter carried the puck over the blue line and fired a slap shot on goal beating Lydon and giving the Penguins a 4-3 lead, Matt Casserly getting the assist on the goal. With 3:23 left to play Colin Haviland gave the Penguins a 5-3 lead with his powerplay goal assisted by Koehler and Carter.

Finally with 2:04 left to play and the Maple Leafs net empty the Penguins were called for a penalty and the Maple Leafs would get a man advantage for virtually the remainder of the game. They peppered the Penguins goal but McCaffrey stood his ground and kept them at bay, until the Penguins were called for yet another penalty. The Maple Leafs with a 5 on 3 advatage and the net empty and a 6th skater on the ice were all over the Penguins. Kyle Stevenson rifled a pass across to Sam Toso who one-timed it for his hat trick and a power play goal, cutting the Penguins lead to 1 with 1:22 left to play and still on the powerplay. But the Penguins played strong, getting the puck out of the zone at every opportunity and held on for the 1 goal victory 5-4.

The Penguins will now face the Flames in the Championship game on Monday night.

The Flames dispatched the Blues 6-3 in the second game of the double header, for recap of that game see next headline.