Regular Season, Game 5: Hurricanes v. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Hurricanes are putting their perfect start on the line against a Maple Leafs team that is struggling right now. Frederik Andersen is getting the start yet again tonight, facing his former team. The Leafs have been struggling to keep the puck out of the nets, losing both games of a back-to-back over the weekend to the Sharks and Penguins by a combined score of 12-4. Their top stars haven't been able to put the puck in the net, which is why tonight is a less than ideal time for that to happen. The Canes will be using the same lines as Saturday in their 5-1 win over Columbus. Whenever the Canes and Leafs get together, crazy things are bound to happen. The last two meetings were an 8-6 thriller won by Toronto in December 2019 and the David Ayres game won by the Canes in February 2020. I don't expect there to be nearly as much excitement in this one as those last two games, but I don't think this will be nearly as easy as Toronto's record would indicate.

1st Period

Scoring

(TOR) 3:25- Auston Matthews (1) (assisted by Michael Bunting (2))

Thoughts

Outside of the Matthews goal, the only one of the period, I thought the Canes were by far the better team the entire period. This period saw the Canes get some great chances, the best being a Svechnikov shot that rang off the post. The power play looked great, but couldn't find the back of the net. Outside of the flurry at the end of the period from Toronto, the puck wasn't in the zone too often for the Maple Leafs. The Staal line was especially notable and continues to be the best forward line of the ice. The biggest thing for me in the period was the hit on Brett Pesce. Ignoring the fact that he was slashed by Wayne Simmonds right before it, Ritchie should've been called for something there. Pesce was already going down and then he made contact with his head. It was a brutal no-call right in front of the referee. If the Canes can keep this level of play going, they'll break through Campbell eventually.

2nd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 7:02- Sebastian Aho (4) (assisted by Ethan Bear (2) and Andrei Svechnikov (4))

(CAR) 9:25- Steven Lorentz (1) (assisted by Jordan Martinook (1))

(CAR) 16:49- Nino Neiderreiter (2) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (4) and Jordan Staal (4))

Thoughts

This was another great period from the Canes and it showed this time on the scoreboard with three goals. The Aho deflection and the Nino finish were good, but that was a big boy goal from Steven Lorentz, finishing a strong one-on-one battle with Rasmus Sandin five-hole on Jack Campbell to break what was then a tie game. The Canes continued to be the better team. Toronto has pushed a little bit, especially after the Nino goal, but Andersen and the defense stood tall to close the period with a two-goal lead. Seeing Slavin take a penalty is an extremely rare occurrence, but the boys battled hard to keep Toronto off the board on the power play. Andersen has had a quietly good game again tonight. John Tavares rang the post soon after the Lorentz goal, so for the game to be 3-1 instead of 2-2 gives the team a major advantage. It's only 20 more minutes, but I'd still like to see another goal or two to really put the nail in Toronto's coffin.

3rd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 19:00- Andrei Svechnikov (5) EN (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (5))

Thoughts

The defense came through yet again for another stellar third period. The Leafs' struggles continued and Andersen continued his tremendous start by finishing off his former team. Toronto pushed hard to try and break into the Canes lead, especially while short-handed, but the defense stepped up in front of the goalie and prevented anything major from happening. The power play didn't look as good as it has in the last few games, but the kill was perfect. Carolina had some chances early to make this game even more out of reach, but Campbell stepped up and kept the Leafs in it. He was easily their best player all night. The perfect start to the season continues and the back-end has a lot to do with it.

Canes Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Steven Lorentz (Game-winning goal)

The eventual game-winning goal was a testament to the strength and will of the fourth-liner to outmuscle Sandin and get the puck through Campbell. The fourth line as a whole played very well tonight. The Canes may have one of the best bottom-six forward groups in the league. It was awesome to see Lorentz get rewarded for his hard work and help put the team ahead.

Second Star- Frederik Andersen (24 saves on 25 shots against his former team)

I can't imagine what it's like to play against your former team, but Andersen was great yet again to move to 5-0-0. The early goal from Matthews easily could've thrown him off, but he dug in and kept Toronto out of the net the rest of the game. He ensured the Leafs didn't get hot on his watch. He's proving to be an excellent pick-up for the team. 

First Star- Jaccob Slavin (2 assists, 2 PIM)

Ignoring the fact that Slavin has not gotten his penalty for the season out of his system, his game was stellar all night. He was matched up with the top line of Toronto and while they did score, he didn't let that stop him. Even after the penalty, he had the beautiful set-up of Nino's goal in the third and then set up the empty-netter with a nice wedge out of the zone. 

Final Thoughts

I was worried that tonight would be the night Toronto decides to turn everything on. Early in the game when Matthews scored, that feeling continued and didn't start to subside until Aho's goal to tie it. Once Lorentz scored, I thought Toronto was out of it and then Nino's goal was the dagger. I didn't think the Leafs stood a chance in the third period and I was right. The point streaks of Aho and Svechnikov continue after they both scored and Svech added an assist. They are really buzzing right now and with a back-to-back coming up Thursday against Boston and Friday against Chicago, I wouldn't be surprised if we finally see Raanta, Jarvis, and Smith get some action. Frederik Andersen might need a game off despite his hot start. I'm happy to see the streak continue, but Thursday's game is going to be a real battle. Boston is a team that has Carolina's number, so it's an important early-season game.