2023-24 Regular Season, Game 72: Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Postgame)

After a wild one in D.C. on Friday night, the hope was that things would get back to normal as the Hurricanes looked to extend their point streak to seven games. The Canes' top line of Sebastian Aho, Jake Guentzel, and Seth Jarvis have been tearing it up, but the rest of the lineup was looking to get into the fun as they welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to town for their only meeting of the season. Without Mitch Marner, Toronto has still been able to put up big numbers offensively, including six goals in a win last night against the Oilers.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (1:06)- Brady Skjei (12) (assisted by Jordan Staal (19) Jordan Martinook (14))

CAR (13:55)- Sebastian Aho (31) PP (assisted by Jake Guentzel (40) & Brent Burns (29))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

TOR (8:51)- Nicholas Robertson (10) (assisted by Auston Matthews (34))

My Thoughts

Now, this was more like it. After the dumpster fire that was Friday's shootout loss to the Capitals, the Hurricanes returned to their game by playing stout defensively against one of the best offensive teams in the league. It's not like Auston Matthews and William Nylander didn't have their chances, either. They combined for one-third of Toronto's shot, finishing with 11 for the night. Despite leading the league with 58 goals, Matthews finished the season series with zero goals, and just one assist in three meetings. The assist came tonight on Nicholas Robertson's goal in the third period. John Tavares, who was arguably Toronto's hottest player coming into the game, failed to record a shot. As good as they've been without Mitch Marner lately, they didn't have an answer for the Hurricanes' defense tonight. 

A big reason for that was Frederik Andersen. The former Maple Leaf made it look easy, even when he was falling down and flailing all over the place. I wasn't aware of Andersen's number against Toronto since signing in Carolina, but they weren't really that good. He won his first start against the Maple Leafs in 2021 but lost his last three. Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net for the first two meetings this season, so this was the first time he'd seen them this season. It turned out to be one of Andersen's best starts of the season. He made a season-high 32 stops against his old club, keeping his record perfect over his last six starts. While the defense in front of him was much better than it was for Kochetkov against the Capitals, Andersen absolutely did his part.

The Canes won this game on special teams, getting the game-winner on the power play and killing all four of Toronto's power play. The fact that Toronto got four power plays was funny, considering I don't think either call on Brent Burns tonight was a penalty. The holding call in the first period was hilarious because at no point does Burns use his free hand to impede Tyler Bertuzzi. Then, he's called for tripping William Nylander in the final minutes of regulation of a one-goal game after Nylander lost an edge on his own accord. Fortunately, the kill did what it has done all season against the Leafs to help seal the deal.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jake Guentzel- 1 assist

While the goal scoring has taken a little more time to come since becoming a Hurricane, Guentzel is finding the scoresheet consistently. He had two golden opportunities to score tonight, including a penalty shot in the first period, but he couldn't beat Woll. He did pick up the primary assist on the power-play goal that turned into the game-winner. It's a good way to go into a big homecoming game on Tuesday.

2nd Star- Sebastian Aho- 1 goal

Sometimes, all it takes is one good bounce to win a game. Little did we know that Aho's "goal" in the first period would be the deciding marker. Obviously, he was trying to pass the puck, but when you're hot, things just go your way. He now has points in six straight games and four goals over the last six periods of play. He also hit 80 points for the third time in his career, with plenty of time in the season to make it to 90 or more. 

1st Star- Frederik Andersen- 32 saves

Without saying the same things I've said after every Andersen start for the last few weeks, this one was a little more special. Being this good against his former team had to feel a little good. His best sequence of the night was the trio of stops he made on Matthews in the second period. He made a mistake but was able to recover to preserve the shutout in the moment. I think he's looking ready for a deep postseason run.

Postseason Watch- The Rangers hold a one-point lead over the Canes with a game in hand after beating the Panthers in overtime on Saturday night. While the Rangers are tied with the Canucks for the most points in the league, the Canes are part of a five-team group that is just one point behind them. The Canes are now 16 points ahead of the Flyers and 18 ahead of the Capitals, with a postseason berth likely to be clinched at some point over the next week.

Up Next- The Hurricanes will play every other day this week, beginning with Jake Guentzel's homecoming game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. They'll be back at home on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings before heading to Montreal to face the Canadiens. After that, the Canes will have a long break between games to begin April as we enter the home stretch.