The Carolina Hurricanes won 1-0 in a shootout Thursday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs after a scoreless three periods of regulation.
The Canes (21-19-8) fought for control against the Leafs (17-20-8) all night. The last time the two teams met it was a tie game at 1 apiece until Toronto scored in overtime to take the win.
Eddie Lack protected the net against 32 shots on goal by the Leafs, with Cam Ward out with a concussion after Wednesday’s practice.
Lack earned his paycheck after saving a shot by Maple Leaf forward Michael Grabner on a shorthanded breakaway, and could have been momentum-breaking had the Leafs scored. Lack had his first shutout as a Cane and is ready for more.
“I am comfortable with playing a lot,” Lack told nhl.com. “It’s up to me to prove myself here.”
For Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, it was a game played at home against the team he grew up watching. The Toronto-born Hurricane posted eight shots on goal for the night, a team-high for the Canes.
Carolina attempted 41 shots on goal throughout the game until Jordan Staal, assisted by Justin Faulk, put one in during overtime to clinch the win. It was Staal’s third overtime goal this season.
“It was a tight game,” Staal said. “There were opportunities on the power play, but 5-on-5 there wasn’t a lot. I thought in the third period we did a good job of playing in their end a lot more and got back to the game we want to play. We created a lot of chances and a lot of shots.”
Toronto won 27 faceoffs and had five penalties, compared to Carolina’s 26 faceoff wins and three penalties. Hits totaled to 19 on both sides of the ice, proving the game to be an almost equal matchup.
“We’ve got a lot of hockey left, in reality,” head coach Bill Peters said. “It’s all about us, how we play and looking after our own business. We have two games coming up back-to-back against teams in the Eastern Conference. That’s a huge priority.”
Carolina will face the New York Rangers for a divisional matchup at home in PNC Arena Friday night, despite wintry-weather conditions.
