What - Game 57 (33-19-4)
When - 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22
Where - Scotiabank Arena; Toronto, ON, Canada
How to Watch - NHL Network, FanDuel Sports Network South, Sportsnet, CBC, SN1
The NHL returns to action tonight following the 4 Nations Face-Off with 14 games on the docket.
The Carolina Hurricanes will resume their season with a two-game road trip across the border, starting against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Hurricanes entered the break with the seventh-best record in the league and third-best in the East and they'll be looking to chase down the Washington Capitals for first in the Metro Division.
Carolina will be looking for Mikko Rantanen to find his stride with his new club and will also hope to get a little more consistent play from its defensive group.
Toronto sits ninth-overall, fourth in the East and are chasing down the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
Streaks
- Sebastian Aho (3g, 1a), Seth Jarvis (2g, 3a) and Andrei Svechnikov (3a) have points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- Jack Roslovic is one goal shy of 100 career goals.
- Shayne Gostisbehere is four points shy of 400 career points.
- Mikko Rantanen is five assists shy of 400 career assists.
- Jordan Staal is five goals shy of 300 career goals.
Game Notes
- It is the fifth anniversary of the David Ayres Game, in which emergency backup goaltender David Ayres had to backstop the Hurricanes for nearly half a game after injuries to Petr Mrazek and James Reimer. The Hurricanes won that game in Toronto, 6-3, with Ayres getting credited with the win, making eight saves on 10 shots faced.
- Carolina is 1-0-0 against Toronto this season, having won 6-3 on Jan. 9 at Lenovo Center. Jordan Staal scored his fourth career hat trick in that game.
- Several players on both teams are coming from playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Hurricanes had Mikko Rantanen (Finland), Sebastian Aho (Finland), Jaccob Slavin (USA) and Seth Jarvis (Canada). The Maple Leafs had William Nylander (Sweden), Auston Matthews (USA) and Mitch Marner (Canada).
The Hockey News - Hurricanes, Leafs Faceoff On Fifth Anniversary Of The David Ayres Game
The NHL schedule makers cooked with this one.<br><br>Exactly five years from the date, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/shortUrl/mEJ70Kj">the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs are once again playing at Scotiabank Arena</a>, where in 2020, emergency backup goaltender David Ayres helped backstop the Canes to a 6-3 win.<br><br>It was one of the most memorable games in hockey history as Ayres, who wound up playing nearly half of an entire NHL game despite only ever having played as high as Junior-B before, became the first ever EBUG to be credited with a win.<br><br>The Canes had lost both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer to injury over the course of the evening, so they were forced to turn to the 42-year-old Zamboni driver.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Pyotr Kochetkov: 20-10-3; 0.904 Sv%; 2.50 GAA
- Anthony Stolarz: 10-5-2; 0.929 Sv%; 2.08 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Mikko Rantanen (26) / William Nylander (33)
- Points - Mikko Rantanen (66) / William Nylander (55)
Power Play
- Carolina - 20% (21st)
- Toronto - 23.2% (12th)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 84.8% (2nd)
- Toronto - 79.9% (13th)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Mikko Rantanen - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Jackson Blake
Andrei Svechnikov - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
Eric Robinson - Tyson Jost - Jack Roslovic
Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burn
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere - Sean Walker
Pyotr Kochetkov
Frederik Andersen
Injuries and Scratches: Riley Stillman, William Carrier (LBI), Jesper Fast (neck)
Leafs Projected Lineup
Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann - John Tavares - William Nylander
Max Domi - Pontus Holmberg - Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz - David Kampf - Connor Dewar
Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit - Conor Timmins
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Injuries and Scratches: Philippe Myers, Ryan Reaves, Alex Steeves, Jani Hakanpaa (knee), Calle Jarnkrok (groin), Max Pacioretty (undisclosed)
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