But, all losses aren't created equally. To properly judge this game requires a deeper assessment. Yes, the Hurricanes have given up too many goals in their last two games. Yes, the Hurricanes are digging themselves holes too big from which to escape. Tonight, though, the Canes showed a fight and a will that wasn't evident on Wednesday.
"We'll take the third period and try to build on the good things," Skinner said.
Two
Coming off Wednesday's discouraging 6-1 defeat, the Hurricanes wanted to respond strong. The team came out buzzing in the first period with numerous scoring chances and a 14-4 shot advantage, partially aided by two power-play opportunities. Frederik Andersen was undoubtedly the difference in the Canes taking a 1-0 or 2-0 lead to the locker room after 20 minutes.
"It was a good start. We created a lot," Jordan Staal said. "We have to keep pushing, keep playing that way and not have those lulls."
"I was happy with the period," head coach Bill Peters said. "There's no reason to get discouraged. You've just got to stay with it, keep playing and continue to generate those types of quality chances. I thought there were good looks in the first."
Three
But then there was the second period, in which the Maple Leafs capitalized with four goals on 12 shots. Zach Hyman, Josh Leivo and former Hurricane Ron Hainsey turned a scoreless game into a 3-0 match in the first 11-and-a-half minutes of the period.
The Hurricanes got one back when Derek Ryan kicked a Jeff Skinner pass to his stick and scored five-hole on Andersen in the slot. James van Riemsdyk, older brother of the Hurricanes' Trevor, stretched the Leafs' lead back to three goals just prior to the second intermission.