What - Game 37 (19-13-4)
When - 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 30
Where - Scotiabank Arena; Toronto, ON, Canada
How to Watch - Bally Sports South, NHL Network
The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (17-9-7) tonight in Canada for their final game of 2023.
The Canes have won their last two games since coming out of the holiday break, scoring five in each contest.
Sebastian Aho has been on a tear for Carolina with 12 points over his last five games.
In net for the Hurricanes should be Pyotr Kochetkov who is 4-1-2 in his last seven starts with a 0.931 save percentage.
Toronto is coming off of yet another high-scoring overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets just one night earlier, but the team has also lost four of their last five.
Auston Matthews has been red hot for the Leafs with six goals in his last five games and he currently leads the NHL with 29.
Martin Jones, who has surprisingly been solid since being called back up to the NHL, is expected to start.
Streaks
- Sebastian Aho (2g, 7a), Andrei Svechnikov (4g, 3a) and Stefan Noesen (1g, 2a) have points in three straight games
- Brent Burns (1g, 4a), Jack Drury (1g, 1a) and Jesper Fast (2g, 1a) have points in back-to-back games
Milestone Watch
- None Close
Game Notes
- Carolina is 68-45-11-6 all-time against Toronto.
- Last year, the Maple Leafs won the season series 2-1-0
- This will be Michael Bunting's first game against Toronto since leaving in Free Agency
- Toronto is the one team Sebastian Aho hasn't really done too well against throughout his career. In 17 games, he has just three goals and seven points.
Key Matchups
Starting Goalies
- Pyotr Kochetkov: 8-7-3; 0.898 Sv%; 2.65 GAA
- Martin Jones: 4-2-0; 0.914 Sv%; 2.85 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Sebastian Aho (14) / Auston Matthews (28)
- Points - Sebastian Aho (39) / William Nylander (46)
Power Play
- Carolina - 25.8% (7th)
- Toronto - 26.5% (4th)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 82.2% (11th)
- Toronto - 78.8% (21st)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Teuvo Teravainen
Michael Bunting - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Seth Jarvis
Stefan Noesen - Jack Drury - Jesper Fast
Brent Burns - Jaccob Slavin
Brady Skjei - Brett Pesce
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Pyotr Kochetkov
Antti Raanta
Injuries and Scratches: Tony DeAngelo, Brendan Lemieux, Frederik Andersen (blood-clotting issue)
Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Tyler Bertuzzi - John Tavares - William Nylander
Nick Robertson - Max Domi - Calle Jarnkrok
Bobby McMann - David Kampf - Noah Gregor
Morgan Rielly - TJ Brodie
Mark Giordano - Timothy Liljegren
Simon Benoit - Jake McCabe
Martin Jones
Ilya Samsonov
Injuries and Scratches: Noah Chadwick, Pontus Holmberg, William Lagesson, Mazden Leslie, Ryan Reaves, Conor Timmins, John Klingberg (hip), Matt Murray (hip), Jake Muzzin (back), Joseph Woll (ankle)
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