**Toronto Maple Leafs Dominate Pittsburgh Penguins with a 7-0 Shutout: Highlights, Player Performances, and Standings Surge**

The Toronto Maple Leafs dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins with a resounding 7-0 shutout at Scotiabank Place, showcasing an impressive performance across the board.

### The Ugly
Remarkably, this game lacked any negative aspects to categorize as “Ugly,” a rare occurrence according to the author.

### The Potentially Bad
The team faced concerns before the game with key players, including Auston Matthews and TJ Brodie, sidelined due to illness. However, this potential setback had no adverse impact on the team’s performance.

### The Good
Despite missing star players, the team stepped up, notably with the return of Timothy Liljegren from LTIR. The author highlighted the positive contributions of Matthew Knies, who not only scored a goalscorer’s goal but also engaged in his first NHL fight and completed a Gordie Howe hat trick.

### Player Performances
– **Max Domi:** Enjoyed his best game as a Maple Leaf, contributing key assists and scoring his second goal of the season.

– **Mitch Marner:** Displayed excellence with a goal and an assist, maintaining a hot streak with eight goals in the last eight games.

### Line Configurations
The Marner, Knies, Domi line showcased potential synergy, prompting thoughts about diversifying the team’s talent across three lines.

The Tavares/Nylander/Bertuzzi line, formed in Matthews’ absence, paid off with goals from Nylander and Tavares, and three assists from Bertuzzi.

### Streaks and Contributions
– **William Nylander:** Became the first Maple Leafs player to reach the 40-point mark for the season, currently sitting seventh in league scoring.

– **Conor Timmins:** Extended his point streak to five games.

– **Timothy Liljegren:** Despite a quiet stat line, played a solid defensive game, leading the team in blocked shots.

### Goaltending
Martin Jones secured a shutout, maintaining an impressive record of 3-0 with a 0.949 save percentage and a 1.86 GAA in three appearances for the Maple Leafs.

### Team Success
The Maple Leafs continued their outstanding performance with points in the last nine games, boasting a 10-1-4 record in the last 15 games. Climbing the standings, they are tied with the Florida Panthers for second place in the Atlantic Division, trailing the first-place Boston Bruins by five points with a game in hand.