Maple Leafs manage to hold off Hurricanes in third

RALEIGH The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four times in the second period Friday but couldn’t flatten the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Leafs had to hold off the hard-charging Canes in the third for a 5-4 win at PNC Arena.

The Canes trailed 4-1 after the second period and 5-2 in the third. But goals by Carolina’s Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin pulled the Canes within 5-4 in a tense final four minutes.

The Leafs took control in the second when Zach Hyman scored in the first minute of the period. Josh Leivo scored off the rush, former Canes defenseman Ron Hainsey had a goal and James van Riemsdyk picked up the Leafs’ fourth in an impressive period of hockey.

Only the work of goalie Frederik Andersen in the first kept the Leafs from possibly falling behind. The Canes dominated the period, getting off 14 shots to the Leafs’ four.

Andersen, once a Carolina draft pick, made all the plays, all the stops. He twice denied center Victor Rask, a healthy scratch for Carolina the past two games, and made a handful of strong stops to keep it a scoreless game after 20 minutes.

Derek Ryan scored off a Jeff Skinner pass in the second, and Jordan Staal scored early in the third on a delayed-penalty sequence. Patrick Marleau’s power-play goal-- after a questionable goaltender interference call against Skinner -- boosted the Leafs’ lead to 5-2 but the Canes kept pushing, outshooting the Leafs 47-25 in the ga,e.

The Canes were coming off a brutal 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday that led to a Thanksgiving Day practice, and Canes coach Bill Peters gave veteran goalie Cam Ward the start. The Canes had a lot of jump in the first period, but loose plays and missed defensive assignments in their zone were costly in the second.

By the third, Ward was out and Scott Darling in net. Marleau scored, but Lindholm’s goal came on second effort in front of the net and Hanifin’s score made for an exciting finish.

The Canes close their home stand Sunday against the Nashville Predators and then comes the real grind: 10 of 12 games on the road.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Maple Leafs manage to hold off Hurricanes in third."