Ahead of an exciting weekend in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes began a three-game homestand against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Their loss in Tampa Bay on Tuesday was a tough pill to swallow, playing a solid road game before allowing a goal in the final minute to lose, 3-2. Andrei Svechnikov broke his goalless drought, and Pyotr Kochetkov was excellent in the losing effort.
The Hurricanes rolled the same lineup from Tuesday's game, including Kochetkov back in the net against the Maple Leafs. Toronto, who entered play with wins in their last five games, turned to Joseph Woll. Since returning from injury, Woll has been outstanding, allowing ten goals in his previous five starts.
We all know how this game ended up, which is a miracle given how it started. Toronto whipped the Canes like they stole something for about ten minutes, scoring twice. Less than two minutes in, Max Domi set up Nick Robertson to break the ice, giving Robertson goals in four straight games against the Canes. A few minutes later, William Nylander buried a breakaway chance after Jalen Chatfield fumbled a puck at the blue line.
Much like the Pittsburgh game, the Hurricanes were getting completely outworked to start the night. Then, the game started tilting the Canes' way. All it took was two goals in 17 seconds. Eric Robinson hit double digits by winning a battle in front of the net and putting a rebound past Woll. Then, Jordan Staal finished a beautiful pass from Andrei Svechnikov to tie it before the Leafs could even catch their breath. It was a great momentum boost heading into the intermission.
Taking a penalty 19 seconds into any period isn't ideal, but it's fine when the captain is feeling it. Jordan Martinook sauced a pass to Staal, who shot against the grain to give the Canes the lead 35 seconds into the second period. The lead was short-lived as Auston Matthews scored 38 seconds later to tie it again. It was a wild sequence, though we ended right where we started.
The Canes' offense kept going, getting the go-ahead goal before the period was five minutes old. Juha Jaaska earned his first NHL point, setting up Jackson Blake for a goal that Woll wants back. Blake did a great job of working around the corner before surprising Woll with a low shot through the five-hole. The rookie's shot got a bounce off the post to make it 4-3 with plenty of time left.
Each team had chances on the power play in the second period, though nothing came to fruition. Heading into the third, Staal didn't make us wait long for the third goal. Martinook spun away from Morgan Rielly after negating icing, throwing the puck to Brent Burns at the point. Burns quickly pulled the trigger and Staal was there to redirect the shot 20 seconds into the final frame to extend the lead.
With plenty of time left to work, the job was to protect the lead. Toronto made that difficult, but Kochetkov was there to hold it together. With Woll on the bench with under four minutes to play, Seth Jarvis picked off a pass and scored into the empty net without much opposition. The Canes nearly had a seventh goal as they continued to apply pressure, settling for six in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs.
In a game featuring nine goals, the goaltenders aren't likely to make headlines. Pyotr Kochetkov deserves a lot of love for his performance. He didn't get much help from the group early. However, Kochetkov built a game. He was especially great in the third period. Robertson had a chance less than a minute after the hat-trick goal that he stopped from the seat of his pants. Kochetkov finished with 30 saves, many of which were potential game-savers.
Another player deserving of praise is Jordan Martinook. Points have been scarce for the forward since his scorching start to November. Assisting on all three of the captain's goals on Thursday, Martinook had almost as many points as he'd scored in the last 23 games. Two of his three helpers were secondary, but his hard work on the third goal made it possible. It was great to see him getting rewarded.
In the end, this game is all about the captain. Jordan Staal doesn't shock and awe with his offensive abilities often but when he does, he goes big. Recording the fifth hat trick of his career, Staal didn't have to wait a decade like he did for his last one three seasons ago. All of his goals came from within a few feet of the net, in true Staal fashion. It was a fitting start to a weekend meant to celebrate his older brother and his accomplishments with the organization.
Up Next: The turnaround will be quick for the Carolina Hurricanes as they complete a back-to-back on Friday night against the visiting Vancouver Canucks. The game will be the first half of a back-to-back for the Canucks, who will be in Toronto on Saturday. To close the weekend, the Canes will host the Anaheim Ducks as Eric Staal enters the Hurricanes Hall of Fame and has his number retired.