Jason Blake's goal late in the third period
lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win and extended Carolina's losing
streak to 11 games.
Nikolai Kulemin and John Mitchell each had a goal while Jonas Gustavsson made
34 saves for the Maple Leafs, who won for just the second time in 14 games
this season.
"We have to get mad at some point, I said to the team, we've only got one win
in 13 games, when is somebody going to get upset," said Maple Leafs coach Ron
Wilson.
Sergei Samsonov and Brandon Sutter each had a goal while Cam Ward made 23
saves in the loss for the Hurricanes, who are suffering through the longest
losing streak in franchise history.
"We've got people that we're counting on to come through in certain
situations," said Carolina coach Paul maurice. "I think the puck hasn't been
easy for them to manage and they're struggling with the puck a little bit,
there's no question about that. But there are no options, you just have to
persevere in these times."
With the score tied in the third, Toronto took the lead on the power play. Lee
Stempniak blasted a slap shot from the high slot that Ward stopped, but the
rebound went back out front where Blake slammed it home with 8:24 to play.
Carolina pulled Ward late in the contest for the extra attacker and a penalty
with 21.6 seconds to play against the Maple Leafs made it a 6-on-4
Carolina got on the board just 7:51 into the first period as Sutter grabbed a
loose puck in the slot and backhanded it into the right corner of the net.
Later in the first, the Hurricanes made it a 2-0 game as Andrew Alberts
blasted a shot on net from the left point that Gustavsson made a kick save on,
but Samsonov was all alone in front and he swiped the rebound into the net
with 2:38 left in the frame.
The Maple Leafs came out of the intermission with tons of energy and cut into
their deficit just 1:12 in as Mitchell's one-timer from the right point got
past Ward.
Later in the frame Toronto tied the game. Alexei Ponikarovsky got the puck
near the Carolina end and banked it off the boards to get it into the zone.
Ponikarovsky caught up to the puck and from the right side he backhanded a
pass to the front of the net where Kulemin chipped it in with 12:37 to play in
the second.
Game Notes
Carolina plays at Columbus on Saturday...The Maple Leafs host Detroit on
Saturday...Carolina took three of four from Toronto last season...Toronto had
lost its previous four games coming into the contest against Carolina, but
recorded a point in each of those games as the team had two overtime and two
shootout losses.
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