The Carolina Hurricanes are north of the border for the first time this season, trying to complete a back-to-back sweep against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canes pulled ahead and held on to their lead in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. Four Hurricanes had multi-point nights, including Charles Alexis Legault, who picked up his first goal and assist.
With this being their first back-to-back of the season, it'll be very interesting to see how the team looks at the start of the contest. Under Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes have typically performed well on zero days of rest, going 58-25-12 since 2018-19. Their .674 points percentage is second only to the Colorado Avalanche (48-18-11, .695) during that time. They went 8-7-0 last season.
On the Other Side: Toronto Maple Leafs
For the first time in 25 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs won a division title, sitting atop the Atlantic Division in 2024-25. It led to them winning their second playoff round in three years, taking down the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round last season before falling in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
The big news of the offseason was the departure of Mitch Marner. Coming off a 102-point season and preparing to hit free agency, the Maple Leafs opted not to lose him for nothing, trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade. The Leafs tried to make a positive impact, turning to the trade market to bring in Mattias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, but losing Marner was massive.
Even without Marner, the Maple Leafs are finding ways to generate plenty of offense. William Nylander is already past 20 points, while John Tavares and Matthew Knies are close behind. The issue has been goaltending, with Toronto allowing the third-most goals per game in the league. This is also the second half of a back-to-back for them after losing to Boston at home, 5-3, on Saturday.
Last season: The Leafs won two of three in the season series. The Canes' lone victory came at home in January, courtesy of Jordan Staal's hat trick. The two met right after the 4 Nations break in February in Toronto. The Leafs jumped out to a 4-0 lead, and while the Canes attempted a comeback, it fell short. Toronto finished it by dominating the Canes, 4-1, in Raleigh in their home finale.
Maple Leafs to Watch
Nicholas Robertson: It might not seem like it, but Robertson really likes playing the Hurricanes. Four of his 36 career goals have come against the Canes, his third-most against any team. Robertson scored a goal against the Bruins on Saturday, and he enters play on Sunday with six points in his last five contests.
Nicolas Roy: The former Hurricane was the return for Mitch Marner this summer. Roy brings a Stanley Cup pedigree to Toronto after helping the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023. He has just four points with the Leafs, but that's not his game. He's a big body in the middle of their Bottom 6 who will give teams fits in the dirty areas.
Hurricanes to Watch
The starting goalie: I think this is a very interesting situation for the Hurricanes, especially since they have three goalies on the roster. I see this going one of two ways. Either they do the obvious thing by having Frederik Andersen face his former team, leaving Pyotr Kochetkov to face Washington, or Brandon Bussi faces Toronto to allow Andersen a chance at Washington on extra days of rest.
Sebastian Aho: In times like these, the Hurricanes will need their top players to be exactly that, especially against a team with the firepower that Toronto possesses. Aho picked up two points last night against the Sabres, taking over the team lead with 15. With a young roster having to go across the border on no rest, the leaders need to lead by example.