Hurricanes find way past Maple Leafs to earn two big points as playoff race heats up
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour calls it the toughest stretch of the regular season “by a mile,” and few would disagree.
In a span of five games, the Canes were set to face the New York Rangers twice, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins and then the Tampa Bay Lighting. No letup there.
Carolina, after splitting the two games with the Rangers, turned back the Maple Leafs 5-3 Saturday at PNC Arena as goalie Pyotr Kochetkov was at his competitive, athletic best with 41 saves — and had to be.
Brind’Amour was quick to say the Canes were “off” and outplayed for the most part but saved by the play of Kochetkov. Auston Matthews had 15 shots, tying Toronto’s franchise record for a game, and scored twice, and Calle Jarnkrok had a goal for the Leafs (43-20-9), but the Canes found a way despite being outshot 44-28.
Sebastian Aho’s go-ahead goal, soon after a disputed score by Matthews, gave the Hurricanes a 4-3 lead with 2:26 left in regulation, and Teuvo Teravainen’s late empty-netter finished it off.
Aho’s 32nd came as he followed up the rebound of Jaccob Slavin’s point shot, backhanding the puck past goalie Matt Murray. He then assisted on Teravainen’s goal, on a spinning shot from center ice.
“Koochie kept us there all night,” Aho said of Kochetkov. “They have some elite players and obviously Koochie can’t stop all of them but he was really good tonight and kept us alive all night.”
The victory kept the Hurricanes (47-16-8) two points in front of the New Jersey Devils in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils topped the Ottawa Senators 5-3 Saturday and have clinched a playoff spot.
“We had a good first period and then their world-class talent took over and we just watched it happen,” Brind’Amour said. “I tip my hat to them because they played a really good game. I didn’t really know what we were doing, they were just coming in waves.
“If it wasn’t for our goalie obviously we wouldn’t have won. It’s funny how it goes. The first two games we played that team I thought we deserved to win. Tonight, we didn’t deserve that. Sometimes, it evens out.”
The Canes could have been deflated in the third after Matthews’ second goal, with 2:58 remaining in regulation, tied the score 3-3. It came after Kochetkov appeared to smother the puck and get a whistle to stop play, only to have Matthews score on a forehand.
The initial ruling was no-goal but was quickly overturned. It was reviewed and upheld by the NHL Situation Room, which ruled the puck entered the net as the “culmination of a continuous play” that was “unaffected by any whistle blown by the referee.”
The Canes didn’t agree with the ruling but quickly answered as Aho scored with 2:26 left in the third. Jordan Martinook battled at the blue line to keep the puck in the zone, then went to the front of the net, while Aho skated in to collect the rebound and score off Slavin’s shot.
“There are two options,” Aho said. “Either stick with it, or kind of just drop your shoulders. We definitely did a good job to bounce back and not change how we approached the next shift.”
Stefan Noesen had pushed the Canes ahead 3-2 at 8:13 of the third, jamming the puck past Murray after a wraparound chance by the winger.
The Canes were the more opportunistic team in the first, taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Brent Burns and captain Jordan Staal. The Maple Leafs badly outplayed the Canes in the second, keeping the puck in the Carolina zone as Matthews had nine shots in the period.
The Canes then killed off a penalty five minutes into the third – the Leafs, second in the NHL on the power play, were 0-3.
The Canes converted on a 5-on-3 power play in the first. Burns, open at the top of the slot, scored his 13th of the season. Staal later scored after a strong forechecking shift by his line, swiping the puck past Murray.
Next up: the Bruins, the best team in the league, on Sunday at 5 p.m.
“Just go 1-0,” Aho said of the Canes’ mindset. “It’s cliche but it’s how we try to live by. We’ve been doing a pretty good job all year just going 1-0 and not thinking ahead or in the past.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2023 at 9:53 PM.
