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

With the Hurricanes playing some of their best hockey of the season, they entered their final game of 2023 in Toronto, riding back-to-back wins out of the break. On the heels of a hat trick by Andrei Svechnikov and consecutive four-point games by Sebastian Aho, the Canes looked to slow down one of the best cores in the league in Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares. The Leafs, coming off a tough 6-5 overtime loss to Columbus last night, looked to erase that defeat by beating the Canes to turn around what has been a tough stretch for them. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (2:24)- Michael Bunting (8) PP (assisted by Sebastian Aho (26) & Andrei Svechnikov (14))

2nd Period

CAR (13:52)- Seth Jarvis (13) PP (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (15) & Sebastian Aho (27))

3rd Period

TOR (4:16)- Timothy Liljegren (1) (assisted by Max Domi (17) & Mark Giordano (5))

CAR (19:05)- Sebastian Aho (15) EN (unassisted)

TOR (19:50)- Nicholas Robertson (5) (assisted by Max Domi (18) & Timothy Liljegren (5))

My Thoughts

The score might've only been 3-2, but this was one of the Canes' most complete games of the season. I'm pretty sure I said that after the Nashville game on Wednesday, but it applies tonight, too. The Canes won almost every important area of this game. Their special teams were the difference again, but they also played one of their most stout defensive games of the season against a team that can score in bunches. Pyotr Kochetkov didn't need to weave a masterpiece, though he came close. It was a great way to close 2023 as a Caniac. 

Before the game, I said one of the keys would be keeping the Core 4 quiet. They had their chances, but that was a resounding success for the Canes. Auston Matthews didn't add to his league lead in goals. William Nylander's 13-game point streak came to an end. John Tavares was quiet for most of the night. Marner's night was arguably the worst of any Leaf in this game. He looked completely disinterested all night. He was beaten by Seth Jarvis before scoring on the power play. Then, he attempted a lazy pass to Nylander with Martin Jones on the bench, which Sebastian Aho poked away as he scored into the empty net. I'll admit that I haven't watched a ton of Toronto games during this most recent stretch, but this appears to be a recurring thing with him. 

While Toronto's stars failed to move the needle, Carolina's were in the middle of it all. Aho kept his incredible post-Christmas streak going by adding three more points. He has 11 points in the last three games, contributing to all but two goals this week. Andrei Svechnikov has been right there with him. Svechnikov recorded two more assists tonight, bringing his total to seven points since Chrismas. Michael Bunting set the tone in his return to Toronto by scoring on the power play early in the first period. Seth Jarvis picked up another goal on the power play, giving him eight this season. Kochetkov played a solid game, nearly making a Save of the Year candidate in the dying seconds, though it ended up being a goal.

A lot has been made of the Hurricanes' special teams in December. While there are games left to be played on New Year's Eve, the Canes are poised to finish the month with the league's best penalty kill (93.8%) and the second-best power play (36.7%). It's not a fluke, either. They've been consistent all month to help turn things around. Even when they struggled to find wins earlier in the month, their special teams were getting the job done. While a 7-5-3 record for the month feels underwhelming, it's remarkable, considering they started December 1-4-0. They're 6-1-3 in their last ten games. Considering where they were after the first week of December, this has been a solid month. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Andrei Svechnikov- 2 assists

While two more points are always helpful, I loved Svechnikov's game for more than his offense tonight. With the Aho line matched up against Matthews and Marner, Svechnikov made it a point to be physical early, especially against Matthews. He finished the game with six hits, to go with his two assists on the power play, giving him three straight multi-point games. 

2nd Star- Pyotr Kochetkov- 25 saves

I debated my top two for the game, but I landed on Kochetkov as the 2nd star. He likely would've been #1 if he'd made the last stop on Robertson that ended up being a goal after a review. Still, Kochetkov won the goalie battle for the Canes, carrying a shutout into the third period and finishing with 25 stops to get his save percentage back to .900. 

1st Star- Sebastian Aho- 1 goal, 2 assists

Considering he did something that hadn't been done this century, Aho has made his case to be the top star in the league this week. It was fitting that he'd get the empty-net goal to ice the game. He wasn't perfect, turning the puck over a few times to give Toronto chances, but he came up with a huge play on the penalty kill to prevent a goal as he put in a three-point night. 

Up Next- There is plenty of work to be done in 2024 for the Hurricanes. They'll get it going on Tuesday night against the division-leading New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Canes will finish the road trip on Friday in Washington D.C., before returning home to complete another back-to-back against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.