Maple Leafs offence shut down against speedy Penguins in rematch

T.J. Brodie needed no reminding what happened the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs ran into the Pittsburgh Penguins. Which was a lot like running into a woodchipper.

Despite dressing a lineup scattered with farm hands and afterthoughts, the Penguins thrashed the reeling Maple Leafs 7-1 four Saturdays ago.

A wakeup call of the ugliest sort.

“You never really forget those games,” Brodie said. “We’re a different team now. Playing a lot better. And we know what we’re capable of.”

Indeed, they are.

The Leafs stepped into the rematch boasting top-five positions leaguewide in goals allowed as well as power-play and penalty-kill success. They have more home wins than the Wright Sisters and are racing for tops in the Atlantic Division.

“We’ve come a long way since then,” coach Sheldon Keefe agreed. “As it turns out, that’s part of our journey to get here. We had to go through something like that. But we feel like we’re in a better place here now.”

Saturday, facing a healthier version of the Pens, was the Leafs’ opportunity to prove it. To un-barrass themselves.

Well, Jack Campbell was his usual stellar self, but the Maple Leafs came out on the losing side again.

Pittsburgh — a .500 club more desperate for points — was both the more determined and opportunistic team in a 2-0 road victory, quieting Toronto’s big guns for the second time this fall.

Matching top lines to start with Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews at centre ice (a Beijing preview?), Pittsburgh picked right up where these two clubs left off.

After Crosby’s winger, Jake Guentzel, drew first blood, Keefe would, at times, stray from the strength-on-strength matchup to give his stars better looks.

Alas, it was the Penguins’ speed that burned Toronto’s shutdown pair, Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl, at both ends. Pittsburgh doubled its lead in the first frame with a well-executed Jeff Carter strike off the rush.

The Penguins didn’t need to score a touchdown this time around, locking things down enough to take the crowd and the Leafs offence from making much noise.

The visitors even killed off a nail-biting, 109-second 5-on-3 power-play for Toronto late in the third.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry was excellent, but Pittsburgh’s defenders make it difficult to even reach his crease.

“They just play a hard and fast game,” Keefe said. “If you don’t match that, they can make you look real bad.”

The Maple Leafs flew to New York after the loss and will have an immediate chance to right their wrongs in the Islanders’ brand-new home, UBS Arena, Sunday night.

Rookie call-up Joseph Woll will be given his second-ever start in net as both teams battle through the sleepy half of a back-to-back.