The Maple Leafs return from the 4 Nations break looking to halt a run of five straight losses to the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at Scotiabank Arena (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).
The Leafs‘ losing streak to the Hurricanes has a clear throughline: special teams. Toronto has outscored the Carolina 12-9 at five-on-five during this 0-4-1 stretch dating back to March 2023, but they’re 1-for-16 on the power play with a shorthanded goal against (i.e., net-zero on the man advantage) against the vaunted Canes PK, and just 11-for-17 on the penalty kill. Save for the last matchup in Carolina — when the Leafs built an early 2-0 lead and then fell apart — it’s resulted in the Leafs playing a lot of catch-up hockey, as they have been out-scored 7-2 in the first periods of those five games.
Special teams might be especially important if tonight’s game lacks fluidity at five-on-five, as most players — save for the eight 4 Nations participants — rediscover their rhythm and timing after a full two weeks off from game action.
Alex Steeves played four games in the AHL since the NHL schedule went on break and will start tonight’s game on the fourth line with Steven Lorentz and David Kampf. Steeves averaged just 11 minutes in his four appearances earlier this season — five shots, zero points — and the AHL’s leading goal scorer (29 in 40) is worthy of a little more opportunity if they’re going to give him an honest look this time around. He’s also been lethal from the right circle on the power play if they can find some opportunity for him on the second unit.
Anthony Stolarz will start in net coming out of the break, leaving Joseph Woll — who is winless in two games vs. Carolina — to take tomorrow’s start in Chicago.
Game Day Quotes
Auston Matthews on getting over the tough loss in 4 Nations and resuming the NHL schedule:
It is tough. It means a lot to wear that jersey and have the opportunity. You never know how many opportunities you’ll get to represent your country and play in a situation like that. It definitely still stings.
You have to flip the page here. It is a pretty quick turnaround. I have to get focused again. I am happy to be back with the team and see the guys again after a few weeks and just keep pushing.
Matthews on his appreciation for Jaccob Slavin’s game after playing on the same team for the U.S.:
After playing with guys, you definitely get a new level of appreciation for their game. I always knew how good he was defensively, but seeing him up close and personal on the same team, he is, in my opinion, the best defensive defenseman in the league.
I have never seen a stick like his with the amount of plays he breaks up, the shots that he blocks, and he’s still able to make great passes out of the defensive zone. The amount of ice that he covers is pretty incredible.
Mitch Marner on whether the 4 Nations experience was energizing or tiring as the NHL schedule resumes with a quick turnaround:
A little bit of both. It was a taxing tournament. Every game wasn’t easy. It was high emotion, especially the last game. It is a little bit of both (tiring and energizing). Just trying to get my bearings again here.
Marner on lessons from being part of a winning environment with Team Canada:
There was so much positivity on our bench and positivity in our locker room. There was no doubt in our locker room. When you hear things like that a lot, you really start to believe it. I’ll try to take that into this locker room.
Marner on his conversations with Matthews since the end of the 4 Nations tournament:
We flew together yesterday. We talked about the tournament and how much fun it was but also taxing on the body. Every game wasn’t an easy one. It was a pretty high level of competition. We just enjoyed the tournament and talked about how fun it was. We talked about looking forward to getting back here and taking on bigger things now.
Craig Berube on the decision to start Anthony Stolarz tonight:
When he came back and played, he didn’t end up playing in the last game, so he has had a lot of time off. We wanted to get him back there. We have back-to-back games, so they are both going to play.
Berube on the lessons from the team’s 6-3 loss to Carolina in early January:
I think we shot ourselves in the foot in that game. We played a good first period and did some really good things, but they come at you. They are a pressure team. We all know that. They are in your face and don’t give you a lot of room.
In the second period, they took the game over. We have to handle that pressure better and simplify our game. We didn’t simplify enough in the second period, ended up playing too much in our own end, and did some things that were uncharacteristic of our team just from their pressure.
You have to handle their pressure. They are going to come at you — they’re an aggressive team that doesn’t give you a lot of time and space out there.
Berube on his expectations for the recently-called-up Alex Steeves:
He has been a really good player in the minors. We all know that. He is the leading scorer down there. He has the capability of putting the puck in the net, for sure. He is an effort player who works extremely hard and is competitive. We will see how it goes.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (33-20-2) vs. Hurricanes (33-19-4)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Carolina holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories and three out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#74 Bobby McMann — #11 Max Domi — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #46 Alex Steeves
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #41 Anthony Stolarz
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Ryan Reaves, Philippe Myers
Injured: Max Pacioretty, Connor Dewar
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lines
Forwards
#96 Mikko Rantanen — #20 Sebastian Aho — #24 Seth Jarvis
#71 Taylor Hall — #82 Jesperi Kotkaniemi — #53 Jackson Blake
#37 Andrei Svechnikov — #11 Jordan Staal — #48 Jordan Martinook
#50 Eric Robinson — #27 Tyson Jost* — #98 Jack Roslovic
Defensemen
#74 Jaccob Slavin — #8 Brent Burns
#7 Dmitry Orlov — #5 Jalen Chatfield
#4 Shane Gostisbehere — #26 Sean Walker
Goaltenders
Starter: #52 Pyotr Kochetkov
#31 Frederik Andersen
*game-time decision
Injured: Jesper Fast, William Carrier
