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Auston Matthews and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Maple Leafs Defeat the Hurricanes 4-1

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 8:07 PM ET

Sunday afternoon (April 13), the Carolina Hurricanes hosted their last regular-season home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Lenovo Center. Both teams were looking to win the season series as they were tied 1-1 going into the last meeting. Furthermore, whoever won the game could change the battle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference before the start of the 2025 NHL Playoffs. As the final horn sounded, the Maple Leafs won the season series after defeating the Hurricanes 4-1.

Game Recap

This was one of those games where shots on goal (SOG) can only go so far outside of capitalizing on scoring chances. The Hurricanes outshot the Maple Leafs 11-4 in the first period but were down 1-0 after the first 20 minutes of the game. Pontus Holmberg opened the scoring with 17 seconds left in the period. Joseph Woll stood tall for the Maple Leafs to keep every Hurricanes shot at bay.

The second period was all Maple Leafs in the shot category and on the scoreboard. Toronto outshot Carolina 8-2 in the middle frame and saw their lead double after Auston Matthews scored his 31st of the season. A nifty give-and-go between him and Morgan Rielly made it 2-0 as they looked to build their lead in the battle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The third period saw both teams get a goal as William Nylander made it a 3-0 game just 1:25 into the final 20 minutes. His 45th of the season was a slick deflection to get the puck over the pad of Frederik Andersen as the Maple Leafs were rolling. However, a double minor saw the Hurricanes get a power-play and they finally got on the board. Sebastian Aho‘s 29th of the season was a huge one to erase the Woll shutout. Seth Jarvis notched his third assist in the last two games, his 35th of the season, as he set up his linemate to make it a 3-1 game. As the Hurricanes tried to cut more into the lead, John Tavares of the Maple Leafs iced the game making it 4-1 with a tad over four minutes left. The Hurricanes outshot the Maple Leafs 10-6 in the third period but it was not enough.

The loss drops the Hurricanes’ home record to 31-9-1 in their last regular season game at the Lenovo Center. Also, it drops them to 47-28-5 with two games remaining. What’s also alarming is that the Hurricanes are now 1-4-1 in their last five games since clinching a playoff spot. The Maple Leafs go to 50-26-4 and put a stranglehold on the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Only Two to Go

The Hurricanes (47-28-5) go on the road for the last two games of the regular season. Their first game of the back-to-back in Canada starts on Wednesday, April 16 against the Montreal Canadiens (39-31-10) before they finish the season in Ottawa the following night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern for the penultimate regular season game. Regarding the Maple Leafs (50-26-4), their next game is on Tuesday, April 15 on the road in Buffalo versus the Sabres (35-37-7). That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern before the Maple Leafs’ last game at home on Thursday, April 17.