Matthews, Marner defensive woes, disappointing penalty kill, and more: 3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-2 against Pittsburgh Penguins

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their second game in as many nights, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night.

Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust and Michael Bunting scored for the Penguins, while Blake Lizotte and Kris Letang added shorthanded empty-netters to seal the win. Mitch Marner and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs.

Here’s a closer look at three reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Penguins.

3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs lost to Pittsburgh Penguins

#1. The penalty kill let the Leafs down

The Toronto Maple Leafs' usually reliable penalty kill allowed two power-play goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tallies by Rakell and Bunting gave Pittsburgh the lead each time. While the Leafs tied the game with a power-play goal of their own, they couldn’t recover after Bunting’s go-ahead marker.

Both goals were the result of bad luck for Toronto. Rakell’s goal came on a redirection after he wandered unchecked behind the net. Standing in front of the goal, Rakell deflected a point shot through traffic for the score.

Similarly, Bunting’s goal occurred when Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins slipped, allowing the puck to get through to the open Bunting, who capitalized. Although the Leafs killed three other Penguins power plays, the damage was already done.

#2. The Leafs ran out of gas

The Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the second of back-to-back games on Saturday night. The night before, the Leafs lost a tough 3-1 game to the Washington Capitals. By the third period on Saturday, the Leafs were evidently out of gas.

The most glaring example came during a late third-period power play with the game at 3-2. Instead of generating scoring chances to tie, the Leafs conceded two empty-net goals, putting the game out of reach.

#3. Core Four's poor defensive showing

The Core Four ended the night minus-2. In particular, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were also on the ice for one of the power play goals surrendered in the game.

While the Core Four contributed offensively, their defensive lapses proved costly. The Penguins took advantage, skating away with a crucial victory that lifted them out of the Metropolitan Division basement..

The Maple Leafs will have a couple of days to regroup before facing the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.