2023-24 Regular Season, Game 37: Hurricanes at Toronto Maple Leafs (Pregame)

After winning in Nashville in their return from the break, the Hurricanes were back at PNC Arena less than 24 hours later to face the Montreal Canadiens, who hadn't played since before Christmas. Antti Raanta made his first start in nearly two weeks for the team after the saga that played out before the break. The Canes got it going early as Andrei Svechnikov tipped a shot from the point by Brent Burns past Cayden Primeau to put Carolina ahead just over 90 seconds into the contest. Jesper Fast broke his 17-game goalless drought by tapping home a pass from Sebastian Aho to make it 2-0. Montreal responded quickly to Fast as Mitchell Stephens popped a blocked shot past Raanta to cut into the Canes' lead. After Jack Drury had a goal taken off the board for goalie interference, Mike Matheson tied the game with four seconds left in the period on the power play to send the game to the intermission tied. Fast broke the tie early in the second period after an incredible forechecking shift from Stefan Noesen and Jack Drury. Noesen found Fast all alone in the slot as he snapped it past Primeau. Josh Anderson took advantage of a whiffed shot from Brady Skjei, scoring on a breakaway just 25 seconds into the third period to tie the game 3-3. The Canes dominated the third period but weren't rewarded until Svechnikov wired a one-timer into the net with about six minutes left to break the tie. Svechnikov added an empty-net goal on the power play to complete the hat trick as the Canes won 5-3. Aho finished the night with four points, giving him back-to-back four-point games, while Burns added three helpers. Raanta made 18 stops to earn the win in his return. 

The Opponent: Toronto Maple Leafs (17-9-7, 41 Points- 3rd in the Atlantic Division)

The Maple Leafs entered this season having experienced something they haven't in a long time. Toronto broke its long postseason winless drought by taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. They were unceremoniously ousted by the Panthers in the second round, but it was a good building block for them. The scouting report for the Maple Leafs isn't new. They have a handful of players who make a ton of money that run their offense. They're a top-five offense, behind the league leader in goals, one of the most skilled playmakers in the league, a hard-working captain, a player in a contract year who is near the top of the league in scoring, and a defenseman in the middle of it all. They can take over a game. The rest of the team can be hit or miss. Toronto's biggest issue is similar to the Canes'. They tend to be very inconsistent. They have games where they look good, like a 7-3 win over the Rangers or a 7-0 win over the Penguins. Other times, they can look porous, like in a 9-3 loss to Buffalo. Their goaltending has been an issue, and an injury to Joseph Woll didn't help. Ilya Samsonov hasn't found his stride, leaving Martin Jones as the best option for the team. Injuries among their defensemen have been brutal. Mark Giordano has missed a lot of time. John Klingberg is done for the season. It's a tough situation for Toronto, but they've been able to remain in the hunt. Toronto is playing the second half of a back-to-back tonight after losing 6-5 in overtime to the Blue Jackets. Each member of the Core 4 forwards scored, and Morgan Rielly added three assists, but Samsonov struggled, allowing six goals on 21 shots as Johnny Gaudreau ended the game in overtime. This would suggest that Jones will be in the net against the Hurricanes. 

Last Season's Meetings- Toronto won two of the three meetings last season, all of which were decided by at least two goals. The first meeting came early in November in Raleigh. Stefan Noesen banked a puck off the back of Erik Kallgren on the power play to open the scoring. Calle Jarnkrok broke the shutout in the second period. John Tavares broke the tie in the third, and William Nylander iced it late as the Leafs won 3-1. They met twice in eight days in March, beginning in Toronto. The Leafs jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period and never let the lead go. Zach Aston-Reese scored twice to lead four players with multi-point games in a 5-2 win. The Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead when the two sides met in Raleigh a second time, getting a goal on the power play by Brent Burns and another from Jordan Staal. Jarnkrok and Auston Matthews tied the game in the second period, setting up a tense third period. Noesen broke the tie, but Matthews tied it up again with just under three minutes left. Sebastian Aho responded 32 seconds later, and Teuvo Teravainen added an empty-net goal to ice a 5-3 win for the Canes. 

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. 2023 Comes to a Close

While it isn't quite New Year's Eve, this is the last time the Hurricanes will suit up in 2023. There have been plenty of highs and lows for the team over the last nearly 365 days. The Canes captured their third straight division title and went on a great postseason run before being swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. Sebastian Aho leads the team in goals (39), assists (39), points (78), and game-winning goals (9) since January 1. Most importantly, the team has won two straight games and is looking better than it has in a while. They're 5-1-3 in their last nine games, including back-to-back five-goal efforts against Nashville and Montreal. This team is clicking offensively at the perfect time. It's time to end the year on a high note by starting the road trip with a win. 

2. Bunting Returns to Toronto

After two seasons with the Maple Leafs, Michael Bunting will make his first appearance in Toronto as a member of the Hurricanes. Bunting spent most of his two-year run playing next to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, scoring 46 goals and 112 points. Bunting has been solid in his first season in Raleigh, currently fourth on the team in points (24) and second in assists (17). I'm not sure what kind of reception he'll receive after leaving, though it would be interesting to see if he's actually booed since it was clear the team couldn't re-sign him. I have no doubt that he'll be just as agitating as he normally is. 

3. Don't Let the Core 4 Take Over

The Core 4 of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares are going to be all over this game. The Canes' job will be to prevent them from doing all the damage. They all scored last night against Columbus but lost to the Blue Jackets. I'm expecting them to be a little mad about that result. They're going to come out tonight in front of their fans on Hockey Night in Canada and put their all into this game against the Canes. The Core 4 is the heart and soul of the team, so they'll be the driving force for everything.