Much the same way Barney Gumble managed to pull off Dry January.
The hottest team in the Eastern Conference got a cold piece of pie Thursday as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Maple Leafs 6-3 in Raleigh.
Toronto’s season-high five-game winning streak was ended by a five-game losing streak to the fast and relentless Hurricanes, who came out strong against the Maple Leafs, especially when head coach Rod Brindmore took control of the final substitutions. When people are trump cards.
That means pitting 36-year-old suspended center Jordan Staal against Matthews as captain. And, on this night, watching Staal’s defense get into hot water against the visiting team’s superstars.
While Matthews did hit a nice diving backhand power-play score, he and his wingers also gave up a shorthanded goal and were trapped in their own zone at even strength.
Staal, meanwhile, had a hat trick at the Legend Center, three days before big brother Eric would hoist his No. 12 sweater to the rafters on Sunday.
Brind’Amour, who extended his depth and rolled his line in rough waves, was reluctant to call the unit led by the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Starr the “No. “Third Line”.
When Starr performs like this, you’ll understand why.
“Very solid, tough guy. He’s in good position and doesn’t cheat on offense,” Marner told reporters. “You know you’ve got to go 200 feet every time.” You have to put effort into your offense. “
The truth is, the Maple Leafs did clock in on time.
The visiting team took an early 2-0 lead thanks to the sniping of Nick Robertson, who had recently recovered from injury, and William Nylander, who had recently fallen. It’s a bright omen for a team flying into Raleigh that holds the NHL’s best record in first-down points scored.
But the fearless Hurricanes responded with three scoreless points, including a shorthanded marker by Staal against Toronto’s controversial front five power play.
The Maple Leafs collapsed as they were forced into mistakes by meaner front checks, smaller gaps and faster footwork.
“They’re under pressure, pressure all over the ice,” Matthews said. “Obviously, we didn’t do a good job of keeping the puck out of the net at critical moments in the game.”
“They play at a high pace but don’t give you a lot of offensive opportunities,” Nylander added. “Just getting the puck out of the D zone and countering your mistakes.”
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube thinks a busy Joseph Wall might be tempted to claw back a few of the five goals he gave up on 33 shots, but he highlighted the bigger issue.
His team — missing Jake McCabe and struggling for blueline balance — spent too much time in its own zone and was shorthanded at its own position.
“It’s too loose,” Berube said. “We had so many breakdowns tonight that we need to clean up.”
The Maple Leafs will have a chance at home on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, who won’t be able to benefit from one last substitution.
The Canucks are unlikely to beat the Maple Leafs with the mental toughness and fourth-line stability of the Hurricanes, who have had Toronto’s numbers lately.
“They’ve been a really good team for a while,” said Morgan Rielly, who rushed for three points that night. “When you walk into the building, there’s always a handful of people,”
real. But usually, you don’t need a second hand to calculate all the drawbacks.
• What’s the best way to end an eight-game goal drought? How about three clean breaks in the first seven and a half minutes of the game?
Nylander hit the post and was backhanded by goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov before scoring his long-awaited 24th goal of the season.
“Just tearing it off,” Nylander said, “I know it’s going to happen eventually, so it’s not really anything to worry about.”
Berube, aware that his leading scorer is suffering from missing goals, had a lengthy chat with Nylander on Thursday morning. He pushes players to work toward his goals through tenacious puck battles, no longer hoping that a breakout will come to him.
“That’s what I saw in Willie: a little lack of confidence,” Berube said before the game. “He’s playing at a different speed now.”
• Martin Necas becomes one of the hottest players in the league. He is now stuck in a drought of just one goal in 16 games.
What solution did he choose? peroxide.
Necas has turned blond in an attempt to change his destiny:
•At the end of 2024, Brind’Amour became the fastest coach to reach 300 wins (488 games), knocking Bruce Boudreau off the ladder.
“His performance as a player carries over to his team,” Berube said. The coach then rhymed the traits: Strong work ethic, elite in faceoff circles, excellent on both special teams. “His team is full of pressure and work. They don’t give you a lot of space.”
• Back in November, Hurricanes-turned-Leafs Steven Lorentz discussed Tim Brent’s gutsy four-block performance in a win over the Golden Knights There was no mention of Leafs-turned-Hurricane Tim Brent.
“I’m channeling my inner Timmy Brent,” Lorenz said with a smile, referencing the Maple Leafs’ bottom six.
Well, Brent joins Nick Ahlberg and Jay Rosehill Leaves taken in the morning Thursday. Yes, the Retirement Screening Center is aware of Lorenz’s shouting.
“My phone just blew up. It was hilarious. It was so flattering. The first thing I thought was: Oh my gosh, this kid must be a huge Leaf fan and he remembers me,” Brent said. “I love it. I love him…I think the fans in Toronto do a really good job of appreciating the third- and fourth-line guys and what they bring to the table.
“In a lot of other cities you play in, you don’t get that. I hope he gets a lot of recognition for it and I hope the fans love him for it.”
• The Hurricanes used four backup goaltenders in the first half of the season, but none of them were better than No. 1 Frederik Andersen.
The former Leaf practiced with Carolina on Wednesday for the first time since undergoing knee surgery on Nov. 22.
That’s a great sign for a team that’s been a bit leaky since Anderson was sidelined.
