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Crosby expects ‘motivated’ Leafs team

New York Rangers  v Pittsburgh Penguins - Game Five

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 9: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins waits to take a face off against the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 9, 2014 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs used a recent embarrassment at the hands of the Boston Bruins to provide motivation for Wednesday evening’s game against that same Bruins side.

The tactic seemed to work, given the Leafs pounded the B’s, 6-1.

Well, guess what? The Leafs host the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, the same team that smoked them, 5-2, on Oct. 11.

“You expect them to be pretty motivated,” said Pens captain Sidney Crosby, who had a goal and two assists in that 5-2 win. “They feel pretty good about their game right now; they’re confident.”

Meanwhile, Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, perhaps mindful of his team’s past inconsistencies, warned against getting “too far ahead of ourselves. Sure, we feel good about ourselves right now, but who’s coming [tonight]?”

Not to mention, the Pens were embarrassed themselves the other night in New York, falling 5-0 to the Rangers. That loss broke Pittsburgh’s seven-game win streak.

Is Crosby expecting a bounce-back?

“We’ll see tonight, right?” he said. “You see how you respond after a game like that.”