Hurricanes at Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs would like to bottle their last effort and use it the rest of the season as they prepare to host one of the many teams battling with them for an Eastern Conference playoff spot as the Carolina Hurricanes visit Saturday night. The Maple Leafs responded to a 1-3-0 stretch by holding Pittsburgh to 24 shots en route to a resounding 4-0 victory at home Thursday, taking back third place in the Atlantic Division.
“It’s in here for us to play like we did,” Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin told reporters of Thursday’s performance. “Having that competitiveness and that compete, the physicality and just letting our skill take over from there. Now it’s just about bringing it every night.” The Maple Leafs, who rallied for a wild 8-6 victory over the Hurricanes on Dec. 23, have a two-point lead on Florida for third place in the Atlantic and will play five of six games on the road - including trips to the Sunshine State for two contests and to California for another three - after Saturday’s matchup. Carolina has won three of the last four contests on the road and hopes to make it four of five after falling 5-2 at home against the New York Rangers on Friday and dropping out of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference. All-Star center Sebastian Aho continued his hot streak by scoring Friday for the Hurricanes and has at least a point in 11 straight games, including 11 of his team-leading 35 goals.
TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Carolinas, CBC, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet 360
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (34-22-4): Right wing Andrei Svechnikov tied fellow forward Teuvo Teravainen for second on the team in points with 56 - behind only Aho (58) - after extending his point streak to nine games with an assist Friday. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin recorded a pair of assists in the latest loss and boasts 10 points (one goal) over the last 11 contests while leading the team among active players with a plus-28 rating. Petr Mrazek (20-16-2) made 31 saves to suffer the loss Friday and that could give the start in Toronto to former Maple Leaf James Reimer, who has not lost in his last eight appearances (6-0-2).
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (32-22-8): Muzzin has been a key factor for Toronto of late with two goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating during a four-game point streak after scoring once and setting up a pair against Pittsburgh. Center Auston Matthews recorded nine of his 43 goals and 16 of his 73 points over the last 13 games. Frederik Andersen (25-12-6, .908 save percentage) snapped a three-game slide with 24 saves for his second shutout of the season Thursday and earned the win despite allowing six goals against Carolina two months ago.
OVERTIME
1. Carolina F Brock McGinn scored in his 300th NHL contest Friday, but has only three goals since Christmas.
2. Toronto F William Nylander (career-high 27 goals) boasts 15 points in his last 15 contests and is slated to play his 300th NHL game Saturday.
3. Hurricanes F Jordan Martinook (upper body) has missed the last seven games and is considered day-to-day.