THE WILL TO WIN
Nylander contributes a pair of assists as Leafs beat Hurricanes to end two-game slide ... Leafs and Hurricanes play before sparse crowd ... Win gives Buds most road wins in NHL
RALEIGH, N.C. — William Nylander is signed, sealed and in his third game of the season, delivering.
The Maple Leafs winger recorded his first points of the 2018-19 regular season on Tuesday night, contributing a couple of assists as the Leafs won for the first time in three games, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.
Considering the time Nylander missed as he and the Leafs were engaged in a staring contest over a contract extension, he is not completely all the way back, but the multiple-point night can be used as a launching point.
Nylander was in midseason form in the third period when he held on to the puck on a two-on-one, allowing Patrick Marleau to find some space and eventually tuck a Nylander pass behind Carolina goaltender Petr Mrazek at 5:49 for a 3-1 Toronto lead.
In the second, Nylander’s first point came as the secondary assist on a goal by Morgan Rielly.
The Leafs’ fourth goal came at 8:29 of the third. Mitch Marner worked his usual patience, hanging on to the puck before setting up John Tavares for his 19th of the season in 31 games.
The victory improved the Leafs’ road record to 12-4-0, giving them the most road wins in the National Hockey League. Carolina, mediocre at home and playing in front of an announced crowd of 11,907, fell to 7-5-3 at PNC Arena.
Toronto improves to 21-9-1 overall and has 43 points. Up next for the Leafs will be their truest test in some time, as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
The Leafs’ moms are scheduled to join them on Wednesday for the club’s next two games, in Tampa and then on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., against the Florida Panthers.
Toronto was beaten 5-2 on the road three weeks ago by Carolina but had a much better start on Tuesday and never really was in a spot where the outcome was in doubt, even when the Hurricanes tied the game in the second period.
Each team scored in the middle period, with the Hurricanes evening the game 1-1 before the Leafs regained a one-goal lead at 13:51.
As Ron Hainsey watched from the penalty box while serving a tripping minor, Carolina captain Justin Williams scooted in behind the Leafs defence while taking a pass from Sebastian Aho and beat Frederik Andersen high on the glove side.
The Leafs got that back 67 seconds later.
During a delayed Hurricanes penalty, Rielly passed the puck to the front of the net, where replays showed that ’Canes defenceman Dougie Hamilton re-directed the puck past Mrazek and into his own net.
After some back-and-forth as to whether Rielly or Andreas Johnsson scored the goal, it officially (and correctly) was awarded to Rielly, marking his careerhigh 10th of the season.
Assisting were Auston Matthews and Nylander.
The goal gave Toronto a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
When the Leafs most recently were at PNC Arena on Nov. 21, the Hurricanes had 29 shots on goal in the first period and a 2-1 lead entering the first intermission.
What transpired on Tuesday night was quite the opposite.
The Leafs led 1-0 and outshot the ’Canes 15-8 and were able to kill off a fourminute high-sticking penalty to Nylander. With top penalty-killing forward Zach Hyman serving the first game of his two-game suspension for his late hit on the Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy on Saturday, no less than 10 Leafs, not including Andersen, were called on to help kill the double minor. Carolina managed just two shots on goal during Nylander’s time in the box.
The Leafs goal came courtesy of the fourth line and was scored by Tyler Ennis, his fifth of the season coming after he corralled a loose puck off a scramble and lifted a shot past Mrazek.
Frederik Gauthier and Travis Dermott assisted on the goal at 8:35.
Why the difference for the Leafs from three weeks ago? Fairly simple — they were engaged and determined and got to loose pucks quicker than their counterparts.
With Hyman out, Leafs coach Mike Babcock had Connor Brown on the right side with Tavares and Marner.
Andersen finished with 29 saves. Mrazek made 25 saves for Carolina.
TIP OF CAP TO TAVARES
No slouch himself in the games-played department, Hurricanes winger Williams threw some respect Tavares’ way upon learning the Leafs centre was playing in his 700th NHL game.
“There are very few gamebreakers in this league, and he is one of them,” Williams said. “But he’s not just a goal-scorer; he is in the mould of a Sidney Crosby type. Not just a guy with a wicked shot. He does everything and he does everything really well. I see a lot more success in his future and a lot more games.”