Andersen Backstops Canes By Maple Leafs

RALEIGH, NC. - Carolina Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen stopped 32 out of 33 shots faced on Sunday, securing a 2-1 victory for his team over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jack's Back & A Fast Start...

Returning to action after a rare off day on Saturday, the Canes welcomed a key reinforcement to their lineup for the affair.

Jack Drury, who had been sidelined for over two weeks due to a lower-body issue, returned to the lineup, giving Carolina its full cast of five available centers for just the second time since acquiring Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Working on the wing, before Drury could even touch the ice, Carolina got its first lead.

Some patented forechecking by the group forced a turnover behind Toronto's goal line, and three seconds later, Brady Skjei fit one through traffic.

His 12th of the season had the home team on the board just 66 seconds into the contest.

The first of what would be a plethora of scoring opportunities in the opening frame, the Leafs' offense-first mindset allowed a slew of odd-man rushes for the Canes. Jake Guentzel even had a penalty shot, but Joseph Woll was equal to the test.

Before the end of the first though, Carolina was able to extend their lead to two.

On a power play, a centering feed from Sebastian Aho caught the skate of a Toronto defender, changing its path and sending it to the back of the net.

Steady Freddie...

Although they're as dangerous as any team in the league, Toronto's first period didn't reflect all of what they were capable of.

The second period was a different story.

Nearly doubling their output in shots from the first 20 minutes, the Leafs put 13 pucks onto Andersen, who was facing his former club.

"Zilla" looked sharp though, continuing his superb play since returning earlier this month.

Tight Finish...

In the third, Toronto came with a push, trying to get back into the contest.

Andersen remained solid, until a sequence where he had his stick jarred out of his hands.

With his twig well in the corner, Toronto cashed in.

Nick Robertson snapped the shutout big for Carolina's netminder and simultaneously brought his group within one.

Adding some drama to the final 11:09, the Canes' penalty kill had to come up with a fourth and final penalty kill of the evening during that time, and they were able to do so.

After a difficult night in D.C. on Friday in which they allowed three power play goals, the units looked much more like their normal selves, registering a 10th perfect game in their last 11 outings.

Sprinkle in a few more stops for Andersen before the final horn and at the end of 60 minutes, Carolina had moved their point streak to seven games.

They Said It

Frederik Andersen when asked if he expected his game to be this good upon his return...

"I hadn't really thought too much about it. I'm just trying to do what I can do to be my best. Obviously, I've had a lot of help here and (from) the support system around me. It's been really fun (playing again). You appreciate being back doing this, what you love. It feels good."

Brady Skjei on the penalty kill returning to form and playing a big role in tonight's win...

"It was definitely solid. I've got to give Freddie a ton of credit, he was definitely our best player tonight. He helped us out on the kill a lot. That power play can really get it snapping around and we did a really good job of limiting them on their chances and when we gave up a chance, Freddie was there to bail us out."

Rod Brind'Amour summarizing the contest as a whole...

"It was a good start, obviously. Really it was a good game (for us), until they got (their goal) and then they got going. They kind of flipped (the tide of the game) a little bit. But overall, a great effort, for sure. We had tons of opportunities and they had theirs. For a low-scoring game, there were quite a few opportunities."

What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to practice on Monday and then fly to Pittsburgh. They'll then take on the Penguins on Tuesday night, Jake Guentzel's first game back since being traded earlier this month.

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