The Carolina Hurricanes returned to PNC Arena on Monday, Oct. 25, dismantling the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-1 win. The Hurricanes’ fifth consecutive win to begin the season ties the best start in franchise history.
The Canes struggled to convert their chances in the first period but turned the intensity up to 11 in the latter two periods, overcoming a 1-0 deficit after the first intermission to remain unbeaten.
Goalkeeper Frederik Andersen stepped up and delivered as well, battening down the hatches after a first-period goal by Auston Matthews. From then on, Andersen stopped everything the Maple Leafs (2-4-1) threw at him and allowed the Hurricanes (5-0-0) skaters to score a trio of second-period goals to swing the game in their favor.
Even against his former team, Andersen was mostly concerned with mentally staying on his A-game after giving up a goal.
“You’re gonna get scored on and you’ve gotta make saves,” Andersen said. “No matter what happens you just gotta be able to get ready for the next one. Take a sip of water and forget about it, have that short memory and stay present.”
Carolina’s defense aided in their goalie’s efforts, blocking 16 shots and refusing to back down on the offensive end. This persistence was not wholly beneficial for the Canes, however, as defender Jaccob Slavin was sent to the box for tripping at the 14:20 mark in the second period. The penalty broke Slavin’s streak of over 1,074 consecutive minutes without a penalty.
Even as a visibly frustrated Slavin headed to the box, having already matched his PIM total from last season, Carolina continued to put the proverbial pedal to the medal. The Hurricanes outshot the Leafs 15-8 in the first period, but Toronto netminder Jack Campbell seemed impenetrable early on. Carolina’s perseverance paid off in the form of a trio of goals to give Andersen a two-goal cushion heading into the final period.
It took just over seven minutes after the first intermission for the Hurricanes to find the equalizer, but center Sebastian Aho’s deflection off a rocket of a shot by defender Ethan Bear sparked a barrage of offense for the Canes. A little over two minutes later, center Steven Lorentz put on a show of strength on a runaway chance to muscle his way past Rasmus Sandin, slip the puck past Campbell and give Carolina the lead.
“[Left wing Jordan Martinook] made a heck of a block,” Lorentz said. “The puck just got pushed up and I was fortunate enough to get a good step. I just won the body positioning against their D-man. I just wanted to get the puck to the net. I knew that we had some guys coming in late. I didn’t know if there was going to be a rebound or not but I’m very fortunate that it went in.”
Slavin redeemed himself later in the second period with a highlight-reel dangle that sent Mitch Marner to the ground. Slavin then dished the puck to right wing Nino Niederreiter, who deposited it into the net for the third Hurricanes goal of the period.
The Maple Leafs showed some fight in the third period, but they simply could not muster much in the way of offense to try and get themselves back in the game. Right wing Andrei Svechnikov also added himself to the scoresheet with an empty-netter with one minute remaining, solidifying the score at 4-1.
Although the better team came out on top, Slavin acknowledged that the team still has room for improvement.
“Our puck management in the first period wasn’t great,” Slavin said. “We can clean that up a little bit, especially in the neutral zone.”
The Hurricanes will look to continue its run of form in the second game in a four-game homestand on Thursday, Oct. 28 as it takes on the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
