Carolina Hurricanes Drop Pitched Battle vs Leafs

In an absolute beast of a game, the Carolina Hurricanes fall 8-6 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite a magnificent effort by the Hurricanes.

In one of the most exciting National Hockey League games I’ve had the pleasure to watch, the Carolina Hurricanes drop an amazing second-period comeback, falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

One could say that the game was a foregone conclusion at the end of the first five minutes of the game after Toronto took a commanding three-goal lead, two of which came during an extended power play on a high-sticking double-minor from Brett Pesce.

This series of goals forced head coach Rod Brind’Amour‘s hand, and James Reimer found himself replaced by Petr Mrazek. The Maple Leafs wouldn’t hold that lead for long, as Brock “Shorty” McGinn lands his second short-handed goal of the season and his eighth of the year. This admirable goal puts the Hurricanes on the board at 13:49 of the first period.

The Hurricanes would find themselves within one at 19:35 of the first period on a powerplay goal by fan-favorite Martin Necas. The game was beginning to look promising going into the first intermission

The second period proved to be something else entirely, and gave all of us a glimmer of hope, seeing the Canes extend their lead with an additional three unanswered goals. Necas would break the second-period stalemate at 15:09, tabbing his second goal of the night. This was quickly followed by Erik Haula, a scant twenty seconds later.

Russian superstar Andrei Svechnikov would put the nail in the coffin with a third goal in sixty-nine seconds, his sixteenth of the year, to send the team to the second intermission on a five-to-three lead. We were all feeling great at this point, and the Hurricanes had dug themselves out of a three-goal deficit in just over twenty minutes of playtime.

This is where we get into seeing how we stacked up against my three keys to victory this afternoon.

Not Going to Pull Punches Here. No. They did Not Start on Time.

The first five minutes of this game can only be described as abysmal. The Carolina Hurricanes looked lazy and horrendously uncoordinated, although Toronto at first didn’t look much better. Then came the Pesce double-minor penalty. It took William Nylander thirty seconds to score the first power play goal, erasing a minute and thirty seconds from the penalty clock.

John Tavares would notch his second power play goal of the season less than a minute later (5:10, first period), which forced the goalie switch for Carolina. Toronto taking such a commanding lead over the Canes, spurred the team to action, along with Petr’s entry to the crease. Carolina began to run the game for the next 34:50, however.

This dominance wouldn’t last, though. A stubborn and desperate Leafs team found new hope as Auston Matthews notched his twenty-fourth of the year only barely two and a half minutes into the third frame. Erik Haula would find home his second of the game and spark hope for the team, and its fans, not quite four minutes later.

It was the last goal the Hurricanes would score, as their control of the game slipped to unmanageable levels. Toronto’s Mitchell Marner would tie the game up at six off of a faceoff, won by Carolina, in a desperation move that broke the comeback efforts of the Hurricanes.

For a Time, yes the Carolina Hurricanes did

Not in the initial minutes of the game did the Carolina Hurricanes take any control, nor shut down Toronto’s biggest names. The Canes gave them time, space, and opportunity in which Toronto quickly capitalized on. During the goaltender swap-out, I imagine that Rod Brind’Amour gave the team a very stern lecture because, after that, the Hurricanes went on a run.

Toronto quickly found themselves being outplayed by the Hurricanes once Mrazek took the crease, with the hits and pressure rapidly piling on. Carolina outshot the Leafs in the first frame sixteen to twelve, highlighting the beginning of the shift. Toronto would find itself outshot, fourteen to eight, in the second frame and down by two.

The shift in the effort, aggressiveness, and dedication wouldn’t last the entirety of the game, however. In the final frame, Toronto would once again establish dominance in Scotiabank Arena, outshooting the Carolina Hurricanes nineteen-to-ten, and scoring five goals to propel them to the lead.

The Athletic beat reporter Sara Civian (@SaraCivian) caught up with the Hurricanes after the game, and from what she’s Tweeted out, isn’t pretty. She quotes Erik Haula, who calls the loss “brutal,” which it was. But more scathing was head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s reaction.

Rod isn’t known to pull any punches, figurative not literal, in the post-game scrum or the locker room. But this? It’s a reaction that came as surprising after such a strong effort by the Canes, although Rod’s frustration is understandable.

Cardiac Cane Three Stars of the Game and Miscellaneous Notes

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

• Stars of the Game:
  • 1st Star⭐
    • Martin Necas
      • 2 Goals, 2 Assists, +3 Rating
      • Top 5 Highest Points Among Rookies in NHL
  • 2nd Star⭐⭐
    • Brock McGinn
      • 1 Shorthanded Goal, 2 Shots On Goal, 1 Hit
  • 3rd Star⭐⭐⭐
    • Erik Haula
      • 2 Goals, 1 Assist, +2 Rating
• Notes:
  • Next Away Game: Fri, 27 December 2019
    • Versus New York Islanders @ Madison Square Gardens
  • Next Home Game: Sat, 28 December 2019
    • Versus Washington Capitals

Question for CC Readers: What do you think the Carolina Hurricanes need to change to get back on a winning streak?