Recap: Trio Of Firsts Lifts Canes Past Leafs

TORONTO - Alexander Nikishin's first NHL overtime goal capped off a night of maiden markers for the Carolina Hurricanes, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.

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Finding themselves down by one at the first intermission after Toronto took the lead midway through the opening frame, the Canes responded with three goals in the second stanza.

First came Jordan Staal, whose power-play deflection leveled the score at 5:57. Six minutes later, it was Eric Robinson converting his first career penalty shot attempt that provided the Canes' first lead of the night. And when Toronto's John Tavares erased that advantage shortly afterward, K'Andre Miller responded with his first career shorthanded strike, burying a breakaway to make it 3-2.

Carolina looked to lock things down in the third, but the Leafs' William Nylander had other plans and forced overtime with a goal at 13:50. Just 41 seconds into the extra frame, though, Nikishin's well-placed wrister found the back of the net and sealed two points for the Hurricanes, their second post-regulation win in as many contests.

In net for Carolina, Brandon Bussi returned to the win column for the first time in four starts with 23 saves on 26 shots.

Stats & Standouts

• Defenseman Alexander Nikishin became the fourth rookie defenseman in franchise history to score in overtime, and the first to tally 10 goals in a season.
• Defenseman K'Andre Miller scored his first career shorthanded goal and joined Mike Reilly (Oct. 30) as the second Hurricanes defenseman to tally one this season. Carolina is the only team in 2025-26 to have multiple blueliners with a shorthanded goal.
• Forward Eric Robinson became the fourth Hurricanes player in the past 10 seasons to score a penalty-shot goal. The others: Stefan Noesen (Dec. 15, 2022), Jeff Skinner (March 13, 2017) and Elias Lindholm (Jan. 24, 2016).
• Forward Sebastian Aho posted two points to become the franchise's third player to record five 70-point seasons, joining Ron Francis (11) and Eric Staal (7).
• Forward Seth Jarvis also tallied two assists, his third multi-point effort in the last nine outings.
• Friday marked the first time in franchise history that the Hurricanes/Whalers have scored a power-play, shorthanded and penalty-shot goal in the same period, and the third time they have done so in the same game (also: March 9, 2009 and Jan. 13, 2006).

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour looking back on the win...

“I thought we were okay tonight. Look at the bulk of the game, we had quite a bit of opportunities and just didn't cash in. I thought they got a couple that you'd like to have back. I like the fact that we just kept going, even though there were some of those ones where you say, 'Jeez, that shouldn't happen.' All in all, it's two points. [We] move on."

K'Andre Miller on the overtime hero, Alexander Nikishin...

"He can shoot the puck. I would not want to be a goalie trying to stop one of his shots. He can rip the puck. He's getting better each game, which is fun to watch. Obviously, he has a ton of skill. We believe in him to keep growing and keep doing his thing. A lot of good things from him."

Rod Brind'Amour on Alexander Nikishin's night...

"He had a couple of good looks early in the game. On the power play, he had a couple of bombs. [The overtime winner] was not even really a bomb; he just made a nice little play and got a screened shot through. Good for him and good for us."

K'Andre Miller walking through his goal...

"The defenseman just kind of fumbled it on the blue line. I thought I could use my speed to jump him and make him pressured a little bit. Thankfully, he coughed the puck up. I just tried to make a move on the goalie, and luckily it worked."

Rod Brind'Amour discussing K'Andre Miller's great outing...

"I like that you brought that up because we had a nice couple of individual efforts that won us the game, in essence. We got a penalty shot goal out of Robby, then K'Andre, I thought he was just phenomenal tonight. He was all over it. He's been a huge addition... We added him this summer, and that's been a big plus for us."

What's Next?

• The Canes will fly to Pittsburgh post-game and are scheduled to practice on Saturday.  They'll get back in game action on Sunday afternoon against the Penguins.
• Next Game: Sunday, March 22 at Pittsburgh | 3:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO
• Next Home Game: Saturday, March 28 vs. New Jersey | 5:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking