"These Two Aren't Capable of Playing a Normal Game": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 57 Preview: Hurricanes at Toronto Maple Leafs

Hurricanes Hockey returned to the airwaves on Saturday night as the Canes returned from the break in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. With Seth Jarvis riding high after a 4 Nations victory for Canada, the Canes hoped it would translate into success for the team. The group played well in their final game before the break, exploding for seven goals to break a three-game skid in a 7-3 win against Utah. With the whole gang back together, the Canes sought a productive start to their stretch run.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

TOR (2:50)- Alex Steeves (1) (John Tavares (25))

TOR (3:29)- Pontus Holmberg (3) (unassisted)

TOR (6:39)- David Kampf (4) (Steven Lorentz (8) & Alex Steeves (1))

TOR (15:06)- John Tavares (22) (William Nylander (23) & Pontus Holmberg (7))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

CAR (12:25)- Shayne Gostisbehere (7) (Sebastian Aho (36) & Andrei Svechnikov (24))

CAR (14:46)- Andrei Svechnikov (18) (Mikko Rantanen (41) & Shayne Gostisbehere (24))

CAR (15:06)- Jaccob Slavin (5) (Jordan Staal (19) & Brent Burns (17))

TOR (18:37)- Auston Matthews (21) EN (Christopher Tanev (14))

TOR (19:40)- Pontus Holmberg (4) EN (William Nylander (24))

My Thoughts

Holy cow! The Hurricanes were terrible in the first period. They didn't do a single thing right for almost 20 minutes. It was 3-0 before they hit the first commercial break and 4-0 by the time they rested for 18 minutes. Were the 18 skaters not aware they were playing meaningful hockey tonight? Pyotr Kochetkov was the only person in white who understood the game had started. Even once they started trying late in the period, they couldn't do anything meaningful against Anthony Stolarz. While I don't keep a running list, tonight's first period is easily in the group's five worst periods of the season. It was simply embarrassing hockey in every respect. 

The Canes showed a little more life in the second period, but that didn't last very long. I whole-heartedly expected Rod Brind'Amour to switch goalies after the first period, through no fault of Kochetkov, but he stuck with his starter. Kochetkov returned the favor by playing well in the second. He stopped all nine shots he faced in the middle frame, including two saves on Mitch Marner's short-handed breakaway late in the period. Kochetkov was the team's best player through two periods tonight, and it wasn't particularly close. He flushed the rough start by turning in a respectable performance the rest of the way, even in a loss. 

As the Caniacs stuck around for the third period of a certain loss, the group on the ice decided to figure it out and give us hope. It took them until there was 7:35 left to get on the board, but it seemingly opened the dam a little as they proceeded to strike three times in 2:41 and pull within a goal with 5:54 left in regulation. Of course, it wouldn't amount to anything, but it was a sign of fight. Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist, as did Shayne Gostisbehere. Sebastian Aho, who had a terrible night overall, set up Gostisbehere's goal, while Mikko Rantanen assisted on Svechnikov's. Jaccob Slavin, fresh off establishing himself as America's defender, scored the third goal as he caught a break with a rebound chance. The good feeling turned out to be a ruse, though it was a rare shining light on an otherwise dark night in Toronto.

I've kept my discourse about Brent Burns close to the vest for most of the season while others are very vocal about getting him out of the lineup. I was hoping the break would've been a good reset for him. He was arguably the worst player on the ice in the first period. The opening goal was the direct result of him passing the puck to John Tavares instead of playing it around the boards. Then, he lost sight of David Kampf in front of the net when Toronto made it 3-0. He played over 24 minutes tonight, two more minutes than his defensive partner, Jaccob Slavin. Why? Just why? It's not ever about him playing that much more than Slavin. It's how he's being deployed. He shouldn't be on the first power play. Frankly, he shouldn't even be on the second unit. I have nothing but respect for the career he's put together. Right now, he's not playing well enough. Sure, he had the secondary assist on Slavin's goal. He's no longer the type of guy who should be playing over 24 minutes a night. Maybe he'll prove me wrong by scoring twice in Montreal, but it's time to push different players in high-leverage situations.

When We Meet Again- The Maple Leafs will make their second trip to Raleigh on April 13th as the Canes play their final home game of the regular season.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Andrei Svechnikov

Along with finishing with a game-high five shots, Andrei Svechnikov was one of two Hurricanes with multiple points, serving the secondary assist on their first goal before scoring the second with a one-timer that got a bounce off a Maple Leaf. Svechnikov was one of the few forwards who had a good night. Svechnikov also finished tied for the team lead by adding three hits. If he is making the late push for 30 goals, this was a good start.

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

As we enter the back portion of the season, it's time to start tracking the other teams the Canes are competing with for positioning. Until Washington feels like a certainty to win the division, I'll keep tracking them, but New Jersey is the team we really should focus on.

Washington (37-11-8, 82 Points, 12 ahead of the Canes for 1st in the Metro)- The Capitals returned from the break in a big way, scoring eight times in an 8-3 demolition of the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Jakob Chychrun scored twice and 15 Capitals registered a point in the win.

New Jersey (31-21-6, 68 Points, 2 behind the Canes for 2nd in the Metro)- If you need a silver lining for tonight's loss, the Devils lost in regulation, too. They fell 4-2 to the Dallas Stars at home after Casey DeSmith made 31 saves.

The Road Ahead- The Canes will remain north of the border for one more game, traveling to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Tuesday. They'll return to Raleigh for three straight, starting with Buffalo on Thursday night. They'll host Edmonton and Calgary for a weekend back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.