Carolina Hurricanes: Takeaways From Each Period vs. Leafs
By Austin Blum
![TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: Carolina Hurricanes Goalie Petr Mrazek (34) celebrates the win after the NHL regular season game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2, 2019, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: Carolina Hurricanes Goalie Petr Mrazek (34) celebrates the win after the NHL regular season game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2, 2019, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/3452c0133acd894b9111badf94911dad843d4f2808b90c28dbcdd16eee0e5448.jpg)
2nd Period Takeaways
Power Play
Dougie Hamilton broke through on the power play early in the second period. The power play has been trending upwards as the Hurricanes have a power play goal in the last three games. Also, when the Hurricanes get the defense involved on offense it always tends to lead to good things for the Hurricanes. But how good has Hamilton been since the start of 2019?
Whatever It Takes pic.twitter.com/WTYYovOcIx
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) April 3, 2019
Penalty Kill (again)
The penalty kill can only bail you out so much. Nino Niederreiter took a bad offensive zone penalty in the middle of the period. Very early in the power play, Mrazek made a save on the initial chance, but John Tavares buried the rebound to give the Maple Leafs a jolt. A couple minutes later, Mitch Marner broke in and had a scoring chance that was shut down by Justin Faulk.
Weathering the Storm
The Maple Leafs completely shifted the game in the second half of the second period. Whether it was Mrazek making saves, defenseman blocking shots, or even Jordan Staal having a goal saving play on Auston Matthews. The Hurricanes were able to escape the second period with their lead intact.