"Dude, Where's My Goalie?": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 26: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

With three days between games, the question posed before the game was how well the Hurricanes would look with two extra days of practice between games. With a lot of time spent working on their power play, there was cautious optimism that things would trend in the right direction. Against a lethal offense but a suffering defense, the Canes needed to find their groove, limit their mistakes, and take it to the Leafs on home ice. Otherwise, the new Core 4 would jump all over them to make sure their return to the ice would be a miserable one.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

TOR (0:53)- Bobby McMann (7) (Nicolas Roy (6) & Jake McCabe (8))

TOR (11:45)- Scott Laughton (2) (Philippe Myers (1) & Simon Benoit (3)) 

CAR (15:45)- Seth Jarvis (16) (Shayne Gostisbehere (16) & Sebastian Aho (17))

2nd Period

TOR (4:44)- Matthew Knies (7) (Max Domi (7) & Morgan Rielly (17))

TOR (10:39)- Auston Matthews (11) (Max Domi (8) & Matthew Knies (21))

3rd Period

TOR (18:16-EN)- Bobby McMann (8) (Nicolas Roy (7))

My Thoughts

I'm about ready to put Frederik Andersen's face on the side of a milk carton and ask if anyone has seen him because this clearly isn't him. This goalie looks almost nothing like the one that has been so good for the Hurricanes a recently as last May. The first shot of the game going into the net feels almost automatic at this point. Granted, tonight's opening goal took a bounce off the post and his back before going across the line, but it doesn't negate the point either. Then, he couldn't catch a break when the puck hit the stanchion and spun right into the slot for an easy goal. However, the moment everyone is talking about is the third goal from Matthew Knies. The Leafs' forward makes a great play, but Andersen has no excuse for not stopping that shot. It was a soft backhand that he completely missed. It makes anything good or bad he did after that moot. He's lost six straight, and it honestly feels like more. I don't think anyone has an appetite to see him play this weekend, though it's not completely out of the question.

When the Canes beat the Leafs in Toronto in November, it was because their depth outproduced Toronto's stars. Tonight, the Leafs flipped the script. While Auston Matthews scored a goal and blocked six shots, and Knies had two points, it was guys like Bobby McMann scoring twice, Max Domi and Nicolas Roy setting up two goals each, Scott Laughton scoring, and four of their defensemen recording points that really made the difference. The Canes failed to provide much competition, which is rare for them on home ice this season. They kept William Nylander silent. John Tavares had three shots but was quiet. Toronto won just about every facet of the game imaginable. This was hardly a fluky win, even if they got a few bounces. 

The bright spots were few and far between for the Hurricanes, though the top line provided the best moments. Their goal in the first period felt like a big deal at the time. It makes sense that it was the team's Top 3 scorers all coming together to create a beautiful goal. Shayne Gostisbehere makes the play with a no-look pass through sticks and skates to Seth Jarvis, who buried it past Joseph Woll. Sebastian Aho earned the secondary assist. I thought Andrei Svechnikov had some good moments, as did Alexander Nikishin. I don't think it's that I hate the Canes' game from start to finish. It's that there were too many moments that we've seen time and time again with them over the last month. They're outplaying teams, only to have their biggest mistakes end up in their net. Meanwhile, they can't capitalize when their opponents give them golden opportunities. This season, especially in this division, it could be all the difference.

Next Up: This loss sets up an incredibly fascinating weekend. The Canes host the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks for a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back. I believe with all of my heart that this weekend has become a must-win, 4-point weekend for the Hurricanes. Nashville has, all of a sudden, found its groove with wins in four of its last five. Add to it that Juuse Saros almost always finds a way to frustrate the Canes. The San Jose Sharks have slowed down, but Macklin Celebrini can't stop scoring. The Canes have just two goals in their last two games. The rest of the division can't seem to lose against anyone outside of the division, creating a logjam from top to bottom. The Canes must find a way to turn this around. It's still very early in the season, but the standings are starting to get really uncomfortable.

First Star of the Game: No one

Even if the Canes weren't shut out, I can't, in good faith, give this to anyone. I liked the top line, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Alexander Nikishin, but not enough to name a definitive #1 star.