Hurricanes vs Maple Leafs

Preview, analysis, quotes and TV info for the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes game on 3/17/23 at Scotiabank Arena.

I have been here a few times on the visiting side in the past decade or so, but it is pretty special to come back, be in this dressing room, come out through this tunnel, and be on this bench. You have to keep them moving up ice, moving fast, and on offense when the puck comes to you. The other thing, if we have learned anything, is that you get your game feeling good and all of that, but I mean… I was always kind of thinking in the back of the mind, “I wonder if Toronto would ever give me a shot here again.” The importance of net-front defense is also all the more important against a Carolina team with a really active defense that loves to funnel pucks toward the net. I am super excited to come back here and play in front of this organization and this fan base on the home side. Interestingly, Keefe has indicated a plan to shift to 12/6 in the back-to-back in Ottawa tomorrow night. He made a couple of good plays. You want to feel good about those little details. No team owns the shot-attempt battle and expected-goals battle at both ends of the rink quite like the Hurricanes do. They are man-to-man all over the ice. The

Analyzing Friday's Carolina Hurricanes at Toronto Maple Leafs odds and lines, with NHL expert picks, predictions and best bets.

[Pick’em Challenge](https://dailyticket.usatoday.com/) and win! Plus, try out the [USA TODAY Parlay Calculator](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/parlay-calculator?utm_source=sportsbookwire&utm_medium=text-link) and please [gamble responsibly](https://sportsbookwire.usatoday.com/bet-and-wager-101-responsible-gaming-and-gambling/). [all season on ESPN+](https://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/1205322/535104/9070?subId1=NHL&subId2=SBW), with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Samsonov faced the Hurricanes 3 times last season (2 starts) as a member of the Washington Capitals and went 2-0-0, allowing 6 goals on 58 shots, good for a 2.48 GAA and .897 SV%. Maple Leafs -1.5 (+200) [Tipico Sportsbook’s](https://media.tipico.com/C.ashx?btag=a_94b_456c_carolina-hurricanes-at-toronto-maple-leafs-odds-picks-and-predictions&affid=47&siteid=94&adid=456&c=carolina-hurricanes-at-toronto-maple-leafs-odds-picks-and-predictions-pos1) lines around the Hurricanes vs. He’s 2-4-2 in 9 career games (8 starts) vs. his former team with a 3.12 GAA and .880 SV% (184 saves against 209 shots). Maple Leafs -120 (bet $120 to win $100) The Carolina Hurricanes (44-14-8) and Toronto Maple Leafs (40-18-9) meet Friday at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto won 3-1 as a +149 road underdog as the Under (6.5) cashed Nov. ET (NHL Network).

Carol Schram breaks down Friday's NHL game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs, including a betting prediction.

The content on this page is for informational purposes only. As plus-money underdogs, the Hurricanes are too good a team to discount in this matchup. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. On the back end, Jake McCabe has been steady, Erik Gustafsson has been in and out of the lineup, and rugged veteran Luke Schenn looks set to return to action Friday after missing four games due to the birth of his third child. He’s 17-2-2 on home ice this season and has 14.2 goals saved above expected on the year. Friday’s game will be the second of three meetings between these teams this season. The Hurricanes rank 12th offensively, averaging 3.30 goals per game, but their real strength is on the defensive side of the puck, where they sit just behind Boston with 2.52 goals allowed per game. Prior to beating Winnipeg on Wednesday, the Hurricanes had scored just one goal in their previous three games and were coming off back-to-back shutout losses. Carolina made two moves of note at the trade deadline, acquiring forward Jesse Puljujarvi and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. The 23-year-old rookie is an impressive 11-5-5 with a .915 save percentage this season. If that pattern holds, it’ll be Kochetkov’s turn against the Leafs. Carolina will be kicking off a three-game road trip.

Each Friday, NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will provide readers with three games he is looking forward to that weekend.

The Wild (39-21-8) are on a franchise-best 14 game point streak (11-0-3) and enter Friday one point behind the Dallas Stars for first in the Central Division. Forwards Connor McDavid (131 points) and Leon Draisaitl (101 points) are the top two NHL point-scorers in the NHL but don't sleep on forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (83 points) and Zach Hyman (72 points). They're five points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild card in the East, with a game in hand, but time is running out. Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn are a great defense pair and Dunn has also had his best year offensively, with 56 points (13 goals, 43 assists). Toronto (40-18-9) has three players -- forwards William Nylander (35), Auston Matthews (31), and John Tavares (30) -- with at least 30 goals this season and two others with at least 20 in forwards Mitchell Marner (24) and Michael Bunting (20). They are a very well-balanced team and have three goalies capable of playing on any night (Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, Pyotr Kochetkov).

Find out how to watch, live stream or TV channel and game time information for the matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes on ...

Morgan Rielly had a goal and an assist, and Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews also scored to help Toronto improve to 4-2-1 in its last seven games. John Tavares ...

[John Tavares](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/5160/john-tavares) and [Calle Jarnkrok](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/2555316/calle-jarnkrok) each had two assists and [Ilya Samsonov](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3900505/ilya-samsonov) finished with 31 saves to help Toronto increase its lead to three points ahead of third-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division. [Pyotr Kochetkov](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4565259/pyotr-kochetkov) had 19 saves as the Hurricanes remained one point ahead of second-place New Jersey in the Metropolitan Division. [https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL](https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL) and [https://www.twitter.com/AP--Sports](https://www.twitter.com/AP--Sports) It was Matthews' 32nd. [Martin Necas](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4233586/martin-necas) and [Brady Skjei](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/2976856/brady-skjei) each scored for Carolina in its third loss in four games. [Ottawa Senators](http://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/ott/ottawa-senators) on Saturday. [Philadelphia Flyers](http://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-flyers) on Saturday. [Sam Lafferty](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3151322/sam-lafferty)'s cross-ice feed from the left side past Kochetkov to make it 4-2. [Morgan Rielly](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/2976833/morgan-rielly) had a goal and an assist, and Mitch Marner and [Auston Matthews](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/4024123/auston-matthews) also scored to help Toronto improve to 4-2-1 in its last seven games. [Erik Gustafsson](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3891922/erik-gustafsson)'s shot from the right point past Kochetkov 2:54 into the game. [Zach Aston-Reese](http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/3988830/zach-aston-reese) scored twice and the [Toronto Maple Leafs](http://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/tor/toronto-maple-leafs) beat the [Carolina Hurricanes](http://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/car/carolina-hurricanes) 4-2 Friday night to snap a two-game skid. Tavares fired a shot from the left side that deflected off Matthews' knee on the right side and in on the power play with 2:22 left in the first to make it 3-1.

Auston Matthews a touché la cible pour la quatrième fois à ses cinq derniers matchs, alors que Mitch Marner et Morgan Rielly ont complété la marque. Rielly a ...

La rondelle a toutefois frappé Matthews sur le retour et il a redonné une avance de deux buts à Toronto avec son 32e but de la saison. Rielly a complété le pointage avec son quatrième but de la saison, en troisième période. Il a fallu attendre les dernières minutes de la période pour finalement voir les Hurricanes donner signe de vie.