5 THINGS ABOUT LEAFS-CANES CONTEST
A couple of whiz kids from the 2015 draft will be on display when the Hurricanes welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to Carolina on Wednesday. The Hurricanes chose Sebastian Aho 35th overall in 2015, 31 picks after the Maple Leafs selected Mitch Marner. And both youngsters have been prolific for their clubs thus far. Each has the potential to make a play happen out of nothing. Marner’s 22 assists are second-most in the NHL, and Aho is not far off with 17.
Here are 5 Things to Watch for on Wednesday: 1 At Home on the Road
The Maple Leafs will put their 9-1-0 road record, the best in the NHL, on the line against a Hurricanes team that has a home mark of 5-4-2. Toronto has proven to be a club that doesn’t become fraught with worry in the rare times a game has got away from them, and that approach against a Carolina club that likes to play in the offensive zone will be crucial.
2 Be Careful
The Hurricanes’ record through 20 games — 9-8-3 — is middling and has them four points out of a wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. This is a club, however, that is not easily cast aside. Carolina was leading the NHL with an average of 40.3 shots on goal a game, including an NHL-best 612 shots on goal during five-on-five play.
3 Just OK Goaltending
The Hurricanes’ goaltending has not been great, whether it has been Scott Darling, ex-Leaf Curtis McElhinney or Petr Mrazek between the pipes. It’s possible the Leafs will face McElhinney, who was claimed by Carolina on waivers from Toronto on Oct. 2. McElhinney had his best game of the season on Sunday with a 33-save performance in a win against New Jersey.
4 Johnny in the Spots
John Tavares ultimately could not lead the New York Islanders to much playoff success during his nine seasons with the team, but he always was able to beat up on Carolina. Tavares has more points (41) and more goals (22) against the ’Canes than any other NHL team. Tavares gets it done honestly, as his 19 even-strength points this season are fourth in the NHL. Whether he gets Aho or Jordan Staal as a matchup, he will be a handful.
5 Rielly Rising
How special has Morgan Rielly’s ascent to the top of the NHL’s scoring heap (among defencemen) been through the first quarter? Rielly has nine goals, the same amount racked up by all of the Hurricanes defencemen combined, through 21 games.