Andersen stops 31 shots as surging Hurricanes trim Leafs 2-1
Brady Skjei and Sebastian Aho scored as the surging Carolina Hurricanes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Sunday night for their sixth win in seven games.
Frederik Andersen made 31 saves and earned his sixth straight win since returning from injury on March 7 as the Hurricanes picked up points in their seventh straight game. Carolina lost to Washington on Friday night.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Nicholas Robertson scored and Joseph Woll stopped 41 shots for Toronto, which was coming off a 6-3 home win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and had its two-game winning streak halted.
“Overall, it was a great effort,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. “We had tons of opportunities. They had theirs. For a low-scoring game, there were quite a few opportunities.”
The Maple Leafs had a late power play after a Brent Burns' tripping penalty, and pulled Woll for an extra skater, but failed to score. Toronto finished 0-for-4 on the power play.
Andersen has been a boost for Carolina's charge to try and catch the New York Rangers in the race for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Andersen missed four months with a blood-clotting issue. Since his return, he has stopped 154 of 162 shots and allowed two or fewer goals in each of his six starts.
“If you've been out that long, I don't care what position you play, there's going to be some rust factor, but he certainly doesn't look like there's any of that,” Brind'Amour said.
Aho said the team trusts Andersen, their No. 1 goalie, but didn't know what to expect after a long layoff from the serious health issue.
“Everyone was a little nervous for him,” Aho said. “He looks very calm, as always. It's huge for us. He's one of the best goalies in the world and we're happy to have him.”
Skjei needed just 66 seconds to get the Hurricanes on the scoreboard in the first period. His shot from the point, through three Toronto players, went under Woll's glove and into the net. Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook assisted.
Aho made it 2-0 on the power play at 13:55 in the first. His wrist shot from the left circle bounced in off of the skate of Toronto defenceman Jake McCabe. Jake Guentzel and Burns picked up assists.
Aho had a hat trick in Friday's 7-6 shootout loss to the Capitals. He leads Carolina with 31 goals.
Carolina nearly had two more goals in the first period. Woll stopped a penalty shot by Guentzel at 9:41, and two minutes later a shot by Martin Necas clanged off the post.
“We came out ready to start and got a good lead and I thought we could have made it bigger,” Andersen said. “ (Woll) played really well down there and kept them in it and obviously gave them a chance..
Andersen was at his best against his former team in the second period. He made a point-blank stop on Toronto star Auston Matthews at 6:14.
A failed clearing attempt by Andersen led to a prime chance for Matthews from the right circle, but Andersen was able to get his glove on the shot.
Timothy Liljegren had a shot on the Toronto power play at the end of the second period that Andersen was able to block.
Robertson cut Carolina's lead to 2-1 at 8:51 in the third period. He scored off a pass from Matthews from the slot and beat Andersen.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Hurricanes: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.