Carolina Hurricanes: 5 takeaways from win over Maple Leafs

A huge 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs put the Carolina Hurricanes in good position to take on the St. Louis Blues the next day.

It was a big night for the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 26 by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3. Considering how inconsistent the production had been from the Carolina offense during a two-game losing streak, this was a big step forward.

Previous to the win over the Leafs, the Canes lost the last matchup of a four-game road stretch, against the Dallas Stars. Carolina followed that up with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although, that loss to the Bolts should not have come by four goals as the Canes kept it close up until the final minutes of the third period.

Toronto was a pretty heavy favorite entering this matchup at home. The Canes have been giving up goals in bunches and the Leafs led the league in goals per game coming into the matchup. However, Scott Darling came up big for Carolina between the pipes and Frederik Anderson did not for the Leafs.

This win over the Leafs moved Carolina’s record to 4-3-1 on the season. Meanwhile, the Leafs now have a record of 7-3-0. Toronto and Tampa still lead the Atlantic Division. Carolina is a long way off the Metropolitan Division leader, Pittsburgh Penguins, who also have seven wins.

Josh Jooris was the biggest part of the Canes win over the Leafs with his two goals. He was the only player on either team to score multiple goals. Victor Rask and Teuvo Teravainen also had big games with at least two points each.

Now, let’s take a look at 5 takeaways from the Carolina Hurricanes win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 26.

5. Jaccob Slavin still deserves more credit

The Canes have a very special player on their blue line in Jaccob Slavin. Against the Leafs, Slavin had another huge test against Auston Matthews. Slavin has now faced talents like Matthews, Connor McDavid, Tyler Seguin, Artemi Panarin, Patrik Laine, and Johnny Gaudreau.

It has been the responsibility of Slavin and Brett Pesce to shut down opposing first liners before they’re able to get to the net. Slavin is among the best in the NHL at shutting down some of the best players in the league.

Matthews did get on the board once against the Canes, but he’s almost averaging one goal per game. Holding him to one goal was actually a pretty good accomplishment. While few teams can hold Matthews off the score sheet completely, the Canes still got it done.

Carolina really has a defenseman with a shot at winning the Norris Trophy. He’s already got four points through eight games. That’s on pace to eclipse his career-mark of 34 points set last season.

4. Darling and Ward could be a great combination

Scott Darling had another good effort with 31 saves on 34 shots. Considering the Leafs were averaging more than four goals per game before face off, that’s a great number for him. He made some big saves at key times in the third period to keep the lead at one.

Cam Ward will get the start for the Canes in the second leg of the back-to-back, on Oct. 27 against the St. Louis Blues. It will be only Ward’s second start of the season. His first start came against the Edmonton Oilers, where he got a win with 48 saves on 51 shots.

If the Canes continue to get some solid goaltending, it should completely change their fortunes compared to recent seasons. Eddie Lack was a fan favorite in Raleigh, but he did not get it done as Ward’s backup.

Darling was brought over in the off-season to be the face of the franchise between the pipes. The lack of reliability on offense has made it very difficult for Darling to get used to the pace of things with the Canes. The potential was shown against the Leafs.

3. Teuvo Teravainen is very streaky

Head coach Bill Peters moved Teuvo Teravainen to the second line for the first time this season. Teravainen was accustomed to being put on the first line with Jordan Staal and either Sebastian Aho or Elias Lindholm.

The trio of Teravainen, Victor Rask, and Brock McGinn worked out very well. Teravainen racked up three points, to lead the Canes on the night. Meanwhile, McGinn and Rask both scored goals. Rask also added an assist.

Teravainen now has five points this season. All five of those points have come in just two contests. Two of Teravainen’s three goals came against the Oilers. And, both of his assists came against the Leafs. He needs more consistent production.

The way that the Canes offense has trended this season has been a direct correlation to Teravainen’s stat line. He has the talent to be an efficient first liner with the Canes, but he needs to show something more in the coming weeks.

2. Josh Jooris sparks huge fourth line effort

The fourth line did more than just put forward the only player on either squad to score multiple goals in this matchup. They also played a huge role in killing off one Toronto powerplay. Few fans expect much out of this group as well.

Aside from the two goals from Jooris, Joakim Nordstrom also registered one point. There were some rough moments for Nordstrom, but he’s one of the hardest working players for the Canes each and every night.

Marcus Kruger is also starting to find his way with Nordstrom and Jooris. Once Lee Stempniak returns from injury, one of these three fourth liners could be scratched on a regular basis. Yet, the effort the Canes are getting out of them right now is irreplaceable.

When any team can get this sort of production from the fourth line, it becomes very easy to win games. The Leafs also got a solid effort from their fourth line as well, especially since Dominic Moore scored one goal. Carolina’s fourth line was better, though.