NHL 12th straight home defeat sets dubious league record

Pittsburgh gave up four power-play goals in an 8-4 loss to Toronto.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- For two decades, the Pittsburgh Penguins' 1983-84 team has been the franchise's standard of futility, the rock-bottom worst for a team that twice faced bankruptcy in its 37-year history.
Monday, the 2003-04 model broke through the basement floor to a whole new level of historic ineptness.
New league record
By surrendering four power play goals plus a shorthanded tally, the Penguins lost 8-4 to the Toronto Maple Leafs to set the National Hockey League record of 12 consecutive home losses.
"This hurts," left winger Ryan Malone said. "All year, we haven't had too many bounces. We've got to work harder, I guess."
Overall, the Penguins haven't won in their past 15 games, but their 13-game losing streak was "snapped" -- according to the NHL -- by the point they earned in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Blues in St. Louis.
A new streak kicked in before a sparse crowd that resembled the way the arena looked two decades ago when the Penguins were so bad they were rewarded with the draft pick that became Mario Lemieux.
The special teams' struggles are no surprise -- Pittsburgh leads the NHL in shorthanded goals allowed (14) and have permitted opposing teams' power play units to score in 15 out of their past 19 games.
Caron riddled
Starting goalie Sebastien Caron gave up five goals in the first two periods, then was replaced by Jean-Sebastien Aubin. Neither was impressive against the Eastern Conference's second-best squad.
"I'm not going to get into the goaltending tonight," Penguins coach Ed Olcyzk. "The penalty killing gave up four goals. I tried everybody, pretty much."
Horrid special teams play by the Penguins combined with a couple of lucky bounces for the Maple Leafs to generate Toronto's 32nd victory.
Toronto finished 4-for-5 with the man advantage -- the only time the power play failed was on their third chance when Karel Pilar was nailed for tripping 32 seconds after Penguins defenseman Marc Bergevin was penalized.
Midway through the first period, Darcy Tucker put Toronto ahead for good with a backhanded swat that knocked the puck out of midair and behind Caron.
Five minutes later, with Tom Kostopoulos in the penalty box, Tucker sent a cross-ice pass near Caron's crease to wide-open Owen Nolan who buried the puck for a 2-0 Leafs lead.
Moments later, Mikael Renberg beat Caron with a shot that slid under the goalie's stretched legs.
"We seemed to get pretty luck there with a couple of goals," Toronto coach Pat Quinn said.
Penguins' goals
The Penguins scored twice in the first 7:25 of the second period. During a two-man advantage, defenseman Ric Jackman's shot from the point eluded Maple Leafs goalie Mikael Tellqvist.
Winger Tomas Surovy cut Toronto's lead to 3-2 when he beat Tellqvist from about 8 feet.
But a bench penalty for too many men on the ice put Toronto back in charge. Nolan scored his second power play goal from the left face-off circle for a 4-2 lead.
The Penguins squandered two golden opportunities late in the second period.
After Toronto's Bryan McCabe was called for crosschecking, Mats Sundin scored a shorthanded goal on a 2-on-1 breakaway for a 5-2 lead.
"We had a couple of great chances before they scored that shorthanded goal," Olczyk said. "[Tellqvist] made a [heckuva] save on [Dick] Tarnstrom."
The Penguins had one last opportunity to score with another two-man advantage for 47 seconds, but the only shot they mustered hit Malone in the slot and didn't reach the Toronto goal.
Aubin surrendered a goal on the first shot he faced, as the shot from Pilar's stick from the point deflected off of a Penguins defenseman and under Aubin's pads.
"Good teams have luck," said Tarnstrom, who scored his 11th goal in the third period. "We've got to work hard to get bounces to go our way."