Cardiac Cane
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The Anatomy of a Moment: EBUG Comes to the Rescue as the Canes Embarrass Toronto

During a mid-February tilt in Toronto, the unthinkable happened, leading to one of the most amazing nights in NHL history.

By Ben Huffman

Dallas Stars v Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars v Carolina Hurricanes / Grant Halverson/GettyImages
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A tough end to the period

Feb 22, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres (90) defends the goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Carolina defeated Toronto. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres (90) defends the goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Carolina defeated Toronto. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Despite all of the concerns Caniacs had, David Ayres made a play that led to a power-play goal. Coming out to play the puck away from a penalty killer, Ayres moved the puck to the corner, allowing the Canes to move the puck back up the ice. The ensuing rush saw Teuvo Teravainen find Sebastian Aho on the backdoor as he tapped home the puck to make it 4-1, giving the entire fan base a chance to breathe momentarily.

When I said momentarily, I truly meant it. Toronto's captain John Tavares scored 19 seconds later to cut into the Canes' lead, beating Ayres through his five-hole. Pierre Engvall would shrink the lead to one goal less than two minutes after that, beating the outstretched glove of Ayres to make it 4-3. Auston Matthews nearly completed the comeback, but Ayres made an incredibly awkward save against the goalpost as the rest of the defense dove into the crease to make sure the puck stayed out. Carolina narrowly escaped the period with their one-goal lead, but the remaining 20 minutes were going to feel like a lifetime.