Hurricanes at Maple Leafs
THE STORY: A losing season in Carolina doesn’t cause as much chaos as one in Toronto. Five wins in the last 23 games have the Maple Leafs' faithful calling for the head of general manager Brian Burke. The Hurricanes aren’t giving up hope, even though they are a whopping nine points out of a playoff spot with six games remaining. That optimism may have something to do with the fact that Carolina has won seven of its last 10 against Toronto.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolina (Hurricanes), SNET-O (Maple Leafs)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (30-31-15): Carolina’s 5-4 loss to Detroit on Saturday stung a little more than most setbacks. The Hurricanes watched a three-goal lead dissolve and suffered what may have been a lethal blow to their already slim playoff chances. Carolina could be running on empty after a frantic March schedule. Tuesday’s game is the 14th of 16 outings on the slate for March. Coach Kirk Muller said his team looked tired after a 5-1 loss to Columbus on Friday.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (33-34-9): A loss to the Hurricanes will officially eliminate the Maple Leafs from playoff contention. If Toronto is going to stay alive for one more game, it is going to have to win somewhere where it hasn’t in the last nine tries. The Maple Leafs are winless in Air Canada Centre since Feb. 6 and have yet to record a home-ice victory for new coach Randy Carlyle, who is 4-6-2 since taking over for the fired Ron Wilson.
OVERTIME:
1. Carolina’s loss to Detroit was only the second time the Hurricanes have dropped back-to-back games in more than two months.
2. Toronto’s nine-game home losing streak is the longest in franchise history. Five of its remaining seven games are at Air Canada Centre.
3. The Maple Leafs had 25 shots in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Rangers – the first time in four games they’ve topped the 20-shot mark.