Carolina Hurricanes Recap: The Leafs are Actually Somewhat Good
By Eric D. Cox
After a loss to the Avalanche, the Carolina Hurricanes needed a win tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Hurricanes had two things going for them today before the game with the Toronto Maple Leafs. First was the black alternate jerseys a good sign that a win is coming. The second is the return of fan favorite and high energy winger Phillip Di Giuseppe. The Carolina Hurricanes were coming into this game knowing that they outplayed Colorado Friday night.
Related Story: Canes vs. Avalanche
1st Period
Canes started out the 1st with good energy, most notable players were Elias Lindholm and Phillip Di Giuseppe who was making plays like this:
Canes played great the first 5 to eight minutes but plateaued and the Leafs took control for a short time. At the 5:29 mark Canes draw a penalty but can’t even get going before Staal cancels everything out with a cross-checking at the 5:13 mark. During the four on four both teams start out with each of their young gun lines and boy can these kids skate.
Besides the exhibition of speed on the ice, the Leafs controlled the play but couldn’t find the net. For example look at this:
https://twitter.com/matt_barlowe/status/833478208083357696
Everything calms down for a short time with the Canes controlling the play until the 2:11 mark when Cam Ward trying to pass the puck up the middle (first rule of “Do Nots” by goalie passing techniques), gives one up to Josh Leivo in front of the net but Ward makes a great recovery to redeem himself with a nice save. Canes then take control of the last two minutes with no goal for all the great effort. Period ends 0-0.
2nd Period
The 2nd period started out with the Canes taking the zone but that changed quickly with the Leafs going straight down the ice and on a defensive breakdown by Noah Hanifin, which resulted in a Connor Brown goal early at 18:53 of the second:
The Carolina Hurricanes, for the most part, controlled the first half of the second leading up to this:
Please tell me why great players make incredible plays while being mugged? After the second goal the Hurricanes came out with a lot of energy in a strong effort, a great shot by Justin Faulk rang hard off the post. After that initial charge the Canes kept the offensive zone and were rallying against the Leafs, when goalie Curtis McElhinney made three Domonic Hasak type saves, the first started with a snow angel and then the next two from his butt. This was a great effort by the Canes but with goal to show for it. After that the Canes kept up a good second period offensively but just couldn’t buy a goal. Period ended with the Canes outshouting the Leafs 31-20 on shots.
3rd Period
The 3rd period started out with the Canes not showing the same amount of energy they did in the first two periods. Although they continued to control most of the offensive zone the Leaf’s Jake Gardiner scored on a long shot from almost the blueline. This seemed to take the air out of Carolina and it didn’t take much longer for the leaf’s Conner Brown to get his second of the game (at 8:05). That was enough for Coach Peters, who pulls Cam Ward for Eddie Lack. The rest of the game was just a formality with the Leaf’s making a big effort to sustain the shutout for their backup goalie.
Next: So what can the Canes get at the Trade Deadline
Besides some great efforts by Phillip Di Giuseppe who made a case for being at the NHL level and a strong effort by the top two lines of the Canes this game was a reminder of last season’s team and how a team can outplay the other team in most stats (at least for the first two periods) without getting the win. Much like Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes just can’t seem to figure out how to win. Tuesday night the Canes host Pittsburgh, who comes to town after an embarrassing loss to the Red Wings at home today. Stay tune to Cardiac Cane for updates and pre-game evaluation of what Coach Peters and the Hurricane players can do to overcome these last two games.