This round of NHL Predictions looks at the Carolina Hurricanes travelling up to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs. This is another matchup of two very strong teams with high hopes for the year. The Maple Leafs sit in third in the Atlantic Division with 84 points while Carolina is in second in the Metro with 86. While Carolina has typically been known for their strong defence, they added some key forwards at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Toronto has been known for its offence and made some moves to add some defence at the deadline. This is the second time these two have met this season with Carolina taking the first one 3-2.
Toronto enters this one having a record 7-3 in their last ten. Their last game ended in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Auston Matthews continues to impress and put pucks in the net at a high rate. His 55 goals leads the NHL. Mitch Marner is a big part of Toronto’s offence too but his injury will mean he is likely out for this one.
Carolina plays this one on the back of an impressive 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers. That one saw goaltender Frederik Andersen get a shutout while Evgeny Kuznetsov took centre stage with his first goal as a Hurricane. They are 6-3-1 in their last ten as well.
Here are three keys for the Hurricanes to leave Toronto with a win.
NHL Predictions: Carolina Hurricanes vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Three Keys to Victory for Carolina
Contain Matthews
Toronto is full of offensive weapons. William Nylander has 34 goals, Tyler Bertuzzi has 13 goals while playing a gritty game, and captain John Tavares has 20 goals. But none is more lethal than Auston Matthews. His league-leading 55 goals is nine more than second-place Sam Reinhart. He can beat you in many ways and he doesn’t need much room to convert.
Carolina has to keep up their stellar defensive play of late with an especially strong focus on Matthews. It is also notable that he has 15 power play goals meaning that on the penalty kill Carolina has to know where he is at all times. With defencemen like Jaccob Slavin, Carolina does have the ability to shut down some of the league’s top offensive talents. Also, the play of their goalies of late has provided another layer of defence. But considering they are on the road, everyone will have to be on board even more than if at home because they do not have last change. It won’t be easy, but shutting down Matthews will be key.
Keep Up the Kill and Get Back to Converting with the Extra Man
Carolina’s special teams have been a big story all year. At first, both the penalty kill and power play were a little shaky. Then the power play really picked up and they were rocking. The penalty kill followed and started getting back to its similar stifling effectiveness of the last few years. But lately, the penalty kill has continued to get better while the power play has weakened.
To start, Carolina’s penalty kill has been outstanding for most of the year but especially of late. They are second in the league in that category at 85.4%. They are aggressive and not afraid to attack the puck carrier all the way from end line to end line. Toronto has the fourth-best power play in the league and Carolina will have to keep up their effective kill in this one.
On the other side, Carolina has looked a little more shaky on the power play. They are still fifth in the league at 25.6% but it has been more of a struggle of late. As the new guys get adjusted, the power play should improve. With Guentzel’s goal-scoring ability and Kuznetsov’s playmaking, Carolina needs to get the power play rolling again against Toronto. Toronto is only 77.2% on the kill so Carolina needs to strike. It’s a game of inches so taking advantage with a man up is important.
Keep the Lines Rolling
In our last Hurricanes predictions, we discussed how the Hurricanes second line is currently comprised of Jake Guentzel, Kuznetsov and Martin Necas. This “trade line” came together against the Panthers and started excelling. But every line against the Panthers contributed. And that is key for any Hurricanes victory.
They play a team game that heavily relies on the system. While Guentzel provides a little more star power, they do not have the fireworks of a player like Matthews. This is why to take down Toronto they need to continue playing their team game with no passengers. The new guys continuing to build chemistry is big enough on its own. But most importantly, all four forward lines and all three defensive pairs rolling and contributing will be huge.
Prediction Time
This round of NHL Predictions sees what could be a good matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams have shown at different times during the season that they are capable of making some noise. Toronto will likely be without Marner but still showed against the Flyers they can score. But Carolina just shutout one of the strongest teams in the league in the Florida Panthers.
Jack Drury remains out for Carolina as well. Ilya Samsonov had the start for Toronto against the Flyers but with a day off, might see the net again. Meanwhile, in a similar scenario, Andersen played against Florida for Carolina but could come in this one as well. However, with the consistent rotation Carolina has implored, Pyotr Kochetkov will likely get the start. Both are playing well at the moment.
Prediction: Carolina wins 3-2
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
