Kicking off a three-game road trip on Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes took a flight north of the border to Toronto, meeting the Maple Leafs for the final time this season. The Canes were still riding high off a crazy 6-5 overtime victory on Wednesday night over the Penguins, featuring a big night from the Stankoven line and a milestone moment for Sebastian Aho.
The Canes deployed the same lineup from that wild win over the Penguins, with Brandon Bussi being the lone change. Bussi is struggling through a three-start losing streak, and he had a rough start in November when the team visited Toronto in an eventual 5-4 win. Joseph Woll was in the net for Toronto. He was stellar in Raleigh in December before exiting after the second period with an injury.
The first period wasn't one to write home about. Mostly because there wasn't a ton happening for either team. That being said, one team scored, and it wasn't the Hurricanes. The defense allowed easy entry into the defensive zone. Bo Groulx's shot at Bussi was very weak, but the Canes' netminder kicked it right to Dakota Joshua for an easy rebound goal, putting Toronto up one after 20.
The Hurricanes controlled most of the middle frame. They needed all four minutes of a power play to score, but Jordan Staal redirected a shot to get the Canes even. Eric Robinson, who drew the power play, also drew a penalty shot, and he buried it past Woll to give the Canes the lead. John Tavares tied it shortly after, but K'Andre Miller scored on a short-handed breakaway to restore the lead after two.
It felt like the Canes were inches away from extending their lead. They just couldn't solve Woll. Bussi made a few big saves, but he wasn't able to keep William Nylander out late in regulation. The Canes failed to clear the puck, and it ended up in the back of their net, courtesy of a great individual effort from the Leafs' leading scorer. Once again, the Canes needed overtime to settle things.
Claiming victory was short and sweet for the Canes. Jordan Staal won the opening draw, and the Canes never gave the Leafs a chance to touch it. Seth Jarvis had his shot blocked, but they maintained possession. Alexander Nikishin came off the bench, accepted a pass, and put it off the post and in to finish the job, scoring his 10th goal to earn the second point in a 4-3 triumph.
The Canes did everything special in the second period
The power play was not good tonight. It showed flashes here and there, but it was, on the whole, underwhelming for most of this affair. However, when the team could ill-afford to let a moment pass, they capitalized. They took 3:59:59 to do it, but it was a subtle tip from the captain that got the job done. They need to be better than 1-for-5 and regain their killer instinct, but this was a good moment.
Speaking of good moments, Eric Robinson and K'Andre Miller had themselves a few good moments in the second, too. Both were shot out of a cannon to earn their chances, Robinson drawing a penalty shot, and Miller while short-handed. They also went to the same side against Joseph Woll. Robinson shot it in stride. Miller used his reach to bury a backhand. Three goals scored in very different ways.
Bussi was leaky, but I appreciate his staying tall in big moments late
Brandon Bussi has not been playing well recently, as evidenced by his three-game losing streak. Tonight, while he didn't play great, there were moments when it felt like he was back to being the game-changing goalie that we'd seen for most of the season. The three goals that he allowed were soft, especially the spinning goal by John Tavares, but he moved on and played well in the third.
The Maple Leafs made a push late in the third period, and while they scored the tying goal, Bussi was doing everything in his power to keep the group ahead. There were a few point-blank stops in the slot, and he fought off a few odd-man short-handed chances. It's good to see Bussi get back in the win column, and it was clear this meant a lot to him. Now, he has something positive to build from.
Additional Thoughts
In back-to-back games, it's a defenseman who got the final goal. On Wednesday, it was Sean Walker. Tonight, it was Alexander Nikishin's turn to score his first overtime winner. The rookie defenseman scoring record is within reach, needing just three more to tie it. I felt that it was a solid night for most of the defensive group. Walker and Nikishin threw a lot of pucks at the net, combining for nine shots.
Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho provided assists on the opening and closing goals for the Canes, marking the only multi-point efforts of the night for the group. They were also the duo responsible for last night's winner, with Aho feeling Walker. Aho's first helper on Staal's power play goal was his 70th point of the season, marking the fifth time he's hit that total in his career.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins will come to blow one more time during the regular season when they collide in the Steel City on Sunday. Their last two meetings have been electric, so I'd expect nothing less for this final bout. Then, the team crosses back into Canada to conclude the road trip against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.