GDT: Leafs at Hurricanes (7 p.m., Leafs TV)

by Daniel Santos on December 29, 2011 in Game Day - 1,259 Comments

James Reimer and the Toronto Maple Leafs look to bounce back tonight in Carolina.

After allowing 3 goals on just 8 shots in Tuesday night’s loss in Florida, Reimer will be right back in goal against the Hurricanes. He has struggled mightily on the road, sporting a 1-3-0 record with a 4.26 GAA and .852 SV%. Contrast that to a stellar 6-0-3 mark with a 2.27 GAA and .924 SV% at home.

Reimer will not be the only one trying to end his struggles on the road, as the Leafs penalty kill is just 7-for-17 in the last 4 road games. That’s a frightening 41.2%. Yikes.

Cody Franson looks to continue his recent strong play. Although he registered only 2 assists, Franson actually made nice passes to set up all 3 Leafs goals in Tuesday night’s loss. Perhaps it’s time to see Franson alongside Phaneuf the the top power-play unit, as Tim Connolly did not look good there against Florida.

Franson also leads all Leafs d-men with 6 points and a +6 rating in December. However, the Leafs have lost 5 of 7 games this month when he records a point and/or a plus-rating.

As for the Hurricanes, they’ve taken 3 of the last 4 meetings in Carolina. However, the Leafs took the most recent matchup (in Toronto) in overtime, despite Cam Ward’s exceptional 36-save performance.

The Leafs aren’t expected to make any lineup changes tonight, so no Korbinian Holzer.

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