NHL Update: Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 thrash Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto’s long trip home did not come with the result they wanted. Patrick Dwyer scored the game-winner to lift Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 road victory over Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night.
The game started fast and furious with 5 goals in the last 13 minutes of the first period and Eric Staal scoring two goals in the spurt.
Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead at 7:34 in the first period when Jeff Skinner got a loose puck in front and snapped a shot between Jonas Gustavsson's legs from the low slot.
Toronto's first goal came during Phil Kessel’s 5-on-3 power-play. Kessel answered Skinner less than five minutes later with a one-timer from the left circle and tied the game at 1-1.
"Kessel had a little bit of jump in his step,'' Ward said. “When he got that first goal you could tell he was starting to feel a little confidence.''
Staal briefly put Carolina ahead 2-1 when he stripped the puck from John Mitchell in Carolina zone and moved quickly down the wing before cutting in front to beat Gustavsson at 14:08.
Kessel then again tied the game 2-2 for the second time 82 seconds later. Jay Harrison gave the puck to Tyler Bozak in the corner and Joey Crabb shoveled it to Kessel for a backhander from the high slot.
With 10 seconds left to play in the period, Staal restored Hurricanes' lead with his second goal. Sergei Samsonov made some deceitful moves before passing to Staal for a one-timer.
“Staal, in the first period really took it upon himself to make some dominating plays and he's a guy who's capable of doing that,'' said Carolina goaltender Cam Ward, who stopped 34 of the 37 shots.
Mikhail Grabovski added a power play goal at 8:17 of the second and made it 3-3. A Hurricanes defender tipped the puck right onto Grabovski’s stick who potted it home from the left side of the net.
That was all Toronto could manage in the second period, in spite of carefully outplaying the Carolina.
"We were unlucky on a couple of bounces," Gustavsson said. "If we had a lead after two, then maybe we would have won the game. But that's the way it is. We did a good job, and if we play like this then we'll win a lot of games."
Maple Leafs outshot Hurricanes 25-15 through two periods, but the third was all Carolina with the tough travel apparently catching up to the Toronto.
"We had a great second period where we absolutely dominated," Ron Wilson said. "I think we out chanced them 13-1."
Deadlocked at 3-3, Dwyer snapped a tie with 5:11 remaining in the third period as he tipped home a Tim Gleason shot to lift the Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the Maple Leafs.
Toronto got yet another power-play with 32 seconds remaining in the period when Staal got a cross-checking minor. But, even with good pressure around the Carolina net, Maple Leafs was not able to get the equalizer.
Cam Ward brushed aside 34-of-37 shots for Carolina’s victory.
Blue-liner Tomas Kaberle had two assists and Gustavsson made 23 saves for Toronto. Maple Leafs ended 2 for 8 on the power play. Hurricanes were 1 for 3.
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