The Carolina Hurricanes fell 2-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game decided by a shootout Friday night at PNC Arena.
Like they have most of the season, the Hurricanes (6-10-3) struggled to score and found a way to lose rather than a way to win. With the game seemingly in hand, a bad penalty led to a late Leafs (7-9-4) goal to tie the game and send it into overtime, where the Hurricanes lost in the shootout.
The two squads played a pretty even first period, with each producing some quality scoring chances although neither side was able to convert.
After two quick Toronto penalties, the Canes had a golden opportunity to take the lead on a 5-on-3 power play at the end of the first and beginning of the second. The Canes NHL-worst power play struggled as their passing was atrocious and they were unable to sustain any type of legitimate offense.
“The 5-on-3, we need to get one there, obviously,” Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters said. “You need to be better there in the execution department. That’s something we can work on.”
The Canes came out flying in the second period and were clearly the better team. The majority of the period was spent in the Toronto zone as the Canes came close to scoring multiple times.
Canes forward Joakim Nordstrom blasted a shot past Leafs goalie James Reimer but unfortunately for Carolina, the puck hit the post.
Toronto struggled to get much of anything going offensively, not registering its first shot of the second period until more than eight minutes in.
Despite outshooting the Leafs 10-3, the game remained scoreless after two periods.
The Canes broke the deadlock in the third period on forward Brad Malone’s goal from an almost impossible angle.
Positioned behind the goal line with the puck on his stick, Malone decided to just throw it on Reimer. The puck bounced off Reimer’s pad and through his legs, into the net to give the Canes a 1-0 lead.
“He’s (Malone) got to respond, be physical and be noticeable on the forecheck,” Peters said. “It was a good play throwing it on the net.”
Malone made his presence felt all night, playing a physical game and recording a team-high seven hits.
A Hurricanes penalty with a little more than four minutes left in the third gave the Leafs a chance to tie it up on the power play.
They did exactly that. Toronto forward Nazem Kadri scored his second goal of the season, beating Carolina goalie Cam Ward to make it a 1-1 game.
After neither team scored in 3-on-3 overtime, the game headed to a shootout where forward Joffrey Lupul sealed a 2-1 victory for the Leafs with the game-winning goal.
