Jake Muzzin had an objective and two assists, Frederik Andersen made 24 will save for his second shutout of the growing season, and the Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0.

Toronto's talent-loaded roster spent Wednesday afternoon and Thursday early morning answering queries about work ethic and their degree of urgency in a period that may be slipping aside, but showed a lot of pushback against a group that spanked them just 48 hours earlier.

William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Zach Hyman also scored for Toronto (32-22-8), which suffered that humiliating reduction 5-2 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. John Tavares added two assists for the Leafs, who are battling the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division's third and last playoff spot.

Unlike its last two custom One Color Iron On Stickers outings, Toronto was hard on the forecheck, stingy before Andersen, mainly avoided the penalty container, and stayed on the attack in a third period where the visitors authorized just two shots.

Maintaining this level may be the next step along the way.

Matt Murray made 26 stops for Pittsburgh (37-16-6), which suffered its most lopsided lack of 2019-20.

Toronto was coming off back-to-back street losses - an ugly 5-2 setback Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres and the shocking defeat in Pittsburgh where in fact the Penguins toyed with the Leafs in creating a 5-0 lead just at night midway point of the second period.

Following a scoreless 1st, a vast improvement in comparison to Tuesday's 2-0 deficit, Toronto pushed in the front in 7:45 of the next when Muzzin's stage shot pinged in away the post with newly-acquired Denis Malgin offering a display screen. The defenceman celebrated his fifth objective of the advertising campaign by high-fiving jubilant backup goalie Jack Campbell on the bench.

Toronto got a 5-on-3 power play for 1:53 midway through the time - deploying five forwards for the second straight game - and cracked the Penguins' penalty destroy when Nylander defeat Murray through the pads for his 27th at 10:01.

Kapanen then managed to get 3-0 along with his 12th at 13:04 when this individual was sprung upon a breakaway by Alexander Kerfoot.

And Toronto's response to Tuesday wasn't just between your whistles.

Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist took a few runs at Leafs rookie defenceman Rasmus Sandin late in the next. Kapanen intervened and got a cross-verify up high for his difficulties before dropping the gloves with Pittsburgh's Jared McCann.

Clifford, the Leafs' new resident tough man after coming more than in a trade with L.A. previously this month, was impressed by his new teammate's willingness to activate.

Hyman put things away of reach in 3:56 of the 3rd when he slid house his 19th in ncaa personalized heat transfers only his 43rd video game of 2019-20 after missing the first 19 following off-season knee surgical procedure.

Having struggled mightily for some of 2020, Andersen Los Angeles Lakers 007 Logo iron on stickers kept the fort all of those other way since the Leafs closed protective ranks about their goalie to greatly help him grab the 18th shutout of his career.

The Leafs, who woke up Thursday from the playoffs with 21 games still left on the schedule, came in 7-8-3 over their last 18 - with just four 60-minute victories over that span - carrying out a 15-4-1 begin to Keefe's tenure after he replaced Mike Babcock on Nov. 20.

Pittsburgh, at the same time, is in a struggle with the Washington Capitals atop the Metropolitan Division.

Andersen entered with an .871 save percentage internet dating back again to Jan. 6 and was 0-3-0 since returning from a neck damage that price him four video games, but he produced 14 stops in the opening period, which includes five on a past due power enjoy for the Leafs' initial successful eliminate against Pittsburgh in five tries in 2019-20 to create the stage for his team's offensive explosion.