Penguins, Leafs continue in opposite directions

The Toronto Maple Leafs were right there with the Pittsburgh Penguins through most of Thursday’s game, but the Pascal Dupuis-Sidney Crosby-Chris Kunitz line made sure that the two teams’ recent trends continued.

The Maple Leafs held a 1-0 lead until Dupuis tied it up 12:42 into the third period. The 33-year-old then notched the game-winner about five minutes later before Craig Adams got the insurance empty-netter to give the Pens a 3-1 win.

It’s a tough way for Toronto to drop its fourth game in a row while Pittsburgh is now on a seven-game winning streak (including three straight with Evgeni Malkin on the mend).

Once again, the Maple Leafs find themselves at a fork in the road a little beyond the midway point of a season. We’ll see if they can shake off tough losses like this after failing to do so for several years.