There was no shortage of scoring Thursday night at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC, as the Carolina Hurricanes thumped the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs in a thrilling contest that ended 6-3.

Toronto started strong, appearing ready to cruise to an easy victory with an early two-goal lead. Nick Robertson opened the scoring just 1:59 into the game, and William Nylander snapped an eight-game scoring drought by converting on his third breakaway chance within the first 10 minutes, sending a low shot past Carolina’s goalie Pyotr Kochetkov. The atmosphere in the initially quiet Lenovo Center quickly shifted as the Hurricanes found their rhythm.

After a sluggish start, the Hurricanes rallied to even the score. They netted two goals just 17 seconds apart before the end of the first period, courtesy of Eric Robinson and Jordan Staal. Staal’s first goal came from a backhand pass delivered by Andrei Svechnikov. Carolina continued the momentum into the second period, scoring three unanswered goals, including Staal’s second of the night, which came shorthanded just 35 seconds into the frame, giving the Hurricanes their first lead of the game.

Auston Matthews brought the Leafs back briefly with a power-play goal, his 14th of the season, reigniting Toronto’s hope. “We had good sequences of the game,” Matthews said, reflecting on their efforts. “But there were little breakdowns and poor execution that they capitalized on.”

Despite the brief resurgence from Toronto, Carolina was not to be denied. They added three more goals, with Staal completing his hat trick, marking the fourth of his illustrious 19-year NHL career. “Getting rewarded with cookies is always a good thing,” Staal noted after the game. “My game hasn’t changed; it’s about being tough to play against and finding ways to win in simpler ways.”

The Hurricanes’ top lines effectively shut down the Maple Leafs, leaving Toronto’s primary offensive trio—Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies—with a combined minus-17 rating (Matthews -6, Marner -6, Knies -5). As Jordan Martinook stated, “Staal takes such pride in playing against the top guys too. For him to go out and put up three is awesome.”

In the third period, Kochetkov stood tall, making clutch saves to preserve Carolina’s lead. He denied John Tavares with an impressive lunging save across the crease and thwarted another scoring opportunity from Nylander. “He was phenomenal,” Brind’Amour said of Kochetkov. “There were a ton of good saves. That’s what we needed.”

Seth Jarvis capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal, securing a decisive 6-3 victory for the Hurricanes. The game showcased Carolina’s resilience and ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities while highlighting Jordan Staal’s leadership and skill as they look to build on this success in the future.

The Canes finish up the second leg of this back-to-back as they host the Vancouver Canucks Friday night.