The Associated Press
Dan Scifo
PITTSBURGH—Jonathan Bernier was excellent in unexpected action, and the Toronto Maple Leafs rebounded from a rough outing the night before.
Bernier made 39 saves, and P.A. Parenteau and Peter Holland scored in the shootout, as the Leafs nipped the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 last night.
“I thought Bernier was real good,” said Leafs’ coach Mike Babcock.
“He was mentally strong, and he came out and played real well.”
Dion Phaneuf and Jake Gardiner both scored in regulation as the Leafs bounced back from a 6-3 home loss to the N.Y. Islanders on Tuesday night.
Toronto was 0-6-2 in the second game of back-to-backs prior to this victory.
Bernier allowed all six goals on 15 shots against the Islanders before being lifted for James Reimer.
Reimer was supposed to start against Pittsburgh, but he experienced tightness after getting his first action since missing seven games with a groin injury.
“I had an off-night last night [Tuesday] but I’ve been feeling pretty good,” said Bernier.
“I just wanted to have a bounce-back game and I think that’s what we wanted as a group.”
Parenteau won it by beating Matt Murray to the glove side with a wrist shot.
David Perron scored for Pittsburgh in the shootout but Bernier stopped Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.
The Leafs now have at least one point in eight of their last nine games, with six wins during that span.
Crosby scored his eighth and Chris Kunitz his fifth in regulation while Murray made 34 saves for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins fell to 2-5-1 since hiring Mike Sullivan to replace Mike Johnston as head coach.
Pittsburgh lost to the Leafs for the first time in seven games and dropped their second-straight overall.
“We know down the stretch it’s going to be tight,” Crosby said.
“I don’t know how it’s going to work out in the end but every point is important,” he added.
“Our desperation level has to be there every night now.”
Pittsburgh hit Bernier with 20 second-period shots but stilled was tied 2-2 after 40 minutes.
Murray, meanwhile stopped three breakaways and several quality short-handed opportunities during a power play in the third period.
Evgeni Malkin hit the post to the right of Bernier on a late third-period power play.
“There were a lot of opportunities both ways,” Babcock noted.
“It was way more open than we’d like to play, but in the end we were able to get the two points.”
“I thought our guys played hard,” said Sullivan. “We pushed back.
“I thought our guys responded fine.”
Letang returned after missing a game Sunday against Winnipeg.
Letang has a history of head injuries and was placed in concussion protocol after leaving Saturday night following a hit from Minnesota Wild forward Jarret Stoll.
He had missed the previous six games with an upper-body injury and nine of the prior 11.
Elsewhere in the NHL, New Jersey blanked Ottawa 3-0, Washington beat Buffalo 5-2, the N.Y. Rangers downed Tampa Bay 5-2, and San Jose doubled Philadelphia 4-2.
