The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off the post-4 Nations Face-Off break with a 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in a strong offensive start. Goal scoring aside, eight of the 12 Leafs forwards had a shot on net after the first period, and all but two had at least one shot attempt. They came out flying, winning a lot of their puck battles to keep the action in Carolina’s end.
Things shifted in the other direction as the game went on but it led to a warm reminder of how reliable goaltending has been for the team this season. The Hurricanes pushed and started firing everything they could at Anthony Stolarz though some of their better chances missed the net. The Leafs hit on theirs and had a few others in the slot, but spent the majority of the night after the first trying not to break. The bounces for Carolina made that particularly interesting in the third.
You’ll take the two points against a team like the Hurricanes who clearly weren’t themselves from the start. The Leafs took advantage of their poor play and locked things down as best they could despite the surge at the end. The Maple Leafs get a team grade of B.
Player reports
Anthony Stolarz: A-
Stolarz was a big reason why the Leafs bent but didn’t break. The Hurricanes put three past him with the last two being the definition of poor luck. He was steady all night and kept the game 4-0 off some of Carolina’s better chances.
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev: B+
Good showing for the defence pair despite Andrei Svechnikov’s shot going in off McCabe’s skate. There was a noticeable gap in their performance between them and the other two pairings by winning the majority of their minutes at five-on-five.
Steven Lorentz – David Kämpf – Alex Steeves: B+
The Marlies’ offence finally hit Leafs ice for Steeves with a two-point return to the lineup. We’ve already seen compete and physicality side of Steeves’ game, but he’s never been able to show off his production, and it all changed with a single first-period shot.
ALEX STEEVES 🚨 FIRST NHL GOAL! pic.twitter.com/zSsm33PMHQ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 23, 2025
I like the potential of Lorentz and Steeves long-term. Even after extended shifts, they make safe decisions with the puck to not get caught. Steeves on the line gives them a person who can finish on the chances the line generates. Kämpf did get a goal of his own, but down the line, Steeves can be a well-welcomed addition.
Pontus Holmberg – John Tavares – William Nylander: B
You have to be good defensively to be rewarded offensively. Luck and opportunity were the main components to Holmberg’s two-goal and assist performance, but his timing on the other side of the puck with a willingness to go to the dirty areas. The own-goal from Jordan Staal is one example, but Holmberg also put pressure on Burns to force his pass in the first and covered Timmins for what could’ve been a costly turnover.
Holmberg to the rescue pic.twitter.com/0PKoT77KmZ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 23, 2025
This isn’t a game that cements Holmberg’s spot in the top six if defence is the justification though as I would’ve liked to see him focus on Shayne Gostisbehere in front of Stolarz instead of the puck carrier.
Nylander made use of the hilarious amount of time the Hurricanes defenders gave him, and he took all the time he needed to find John Tavares. The effort and patience on Holmberg’s second goal was noteworthy as well.
JOHN TAVARES 🚨
Perfect fake-out from Nylander pic.twitter.com/wsqtyWRkqk
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 23, 2025
Tavares had two underrated moments in this one on top of his goal. The first was his role in Steeves’ first NHL goal. Brent Burns tried to send an outlet pass to an open teammate by the faceoff dot, but Tavares got there in time to pick it off and find Steeves on the other side of the zone. The second was his faceoff win ahead of Matthews’ empty-netter.
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner: B-
Energy wasn’t an issue for Matthews or Marner, in fact, they were very noticeable when they won board battles in the first. The line stretched things out in the third with a pair of odd-man rushes and Marner killed Carolina’s momentum on the power play after that short-handed scoring chance. That said, the line spent a lot of time defending instead of generating. Matthews’ empty net goal was a big one given how close the Hurricanes made the game.
Bobby McMann – Max Domi – Nick Robertson: C+
Definitely the quietest of the four Leafs lines, and the trio that spent the most time in their end. McMann and Robertson had a look at Pyotr Kochetkov and I liked how the three moved the puck around on the second-unit power play.
They had a good moment in the third thanks to McMann. It started with McMann poking the puck back in the offensive zone, getting to it first, and finding Domi in the slot. If not for Kochetkov’s aggressive dive out to it, Domi might’ve made it 5-1.
Morgan Rielly – Oliver Ekman-Larsson: C+
The Hurricanes had the majority of their five-on-five shot attempts (23) with this pairing on the ice though ended the game with six combined blocks.
Simon Benoit – Conor Timmins: C
Timmins will definitely need an ice pack after a high stick gave him a cut about his eye.
Game Score
What’s next for the Leafs?
The Leafs start their four-game road trip Sunday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks at 7 p.m. ET.
(Photo: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)
