Bernier helps Maple Leafs beat Hurricanes

TORONTO -- PA Parenteau is well aware of his situation, and if he is traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs before the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday, he'll be able to say he went out on a high note.
Parenteau set up the game-winning goal by Josh Leivo and scored in the third period to help the Maple Leafs defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 at Air Canada Centre on Thursday.
It was Parenteau's fifth multipoint game of the season.
The Maple Leafs have been changing their roster through trades in recent weeks; they dealt longtime captain Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 9, then sent defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling to the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

Parenteau, who has 16 goals and 32 points in 59 games, has been mentioned as another possible trade candidate. He can become an unrestricted free agent July 1 after signing a one-year contract with Toronto last summer.

"I try not to think about (being traded) too much," said Parenteau, 32, who has 97 goals and 259 points in 406 NHL games. "I am aware it is out there, but I am taking things day to day, game to game, and we'll see what happens. It has been a few weeks now that we have been talking about a possible trade. I'll just try to think about our next game Saturday night and go from there."
The Maple Leafs (21-28-10), who went 1-2-1 on their four-game homestand, ended a four-game losing streak. Goalie Jonathan Bernier made 30 saves.
Parenteau played last season with the Montreal Canadiens and 2013-14 with the Colorado Avalanche. He credited Mike Babcock with helping him get his game back in order, but the first-year Toronto coach refused to take any credit.
"Let's not get carried away here," Babcock said. "As a player, you decide you are going to work. I talked to him lots. I think he's a good player and he's a pretty good man, so I was just straight up front with him and told him he had to get to work."
Parenteau could add depth to a Stanley Cup contender.

"The two coaches he had before couldn't have been wrong, so he had to take it upon yourself and earn your way," Babcock said. "He did that and got in shape and now he's an important player for us."
Brad Boyes gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at 10:12 of the first period with Carolina defenseman John-Michael Liles off for tripping. Carolina goalie Cam Ward stopped defenseman Morgan Rielly's shot from the blue line despite being screened by Colin Greening, but Boyes was able to knock in the rebound for his seventh goal.
Liles made amends for his penalty when he scored his sixth goal at 16:01 to tie it 1-1. Carolina center Eric Staal cleanly won a faceoff in the Toronto zone against center Peter Holland, drawing the puck back to Liles at the left point for a slap shot that beat Bernier.
Leivo restored Toronto's lead at 5:33 of the second period when he converted a Parenteau pass on a 2-on-1 for his fourth goal in his past four games.
Parenteau made it 3-1 with 4:01 remaining when he broke in on a 2-on-1 with center Nazem Kadri and deflected a perfect saucer pass behind Ward, who made 26 saves.

Carolina (28-24-10) is two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Liles said the Hurricanes did not play with enough desperation.
"It doesn't matter where they are in the standings, it is just frustrating to not play as well as we needed to play," Liles said. "We got outplayed in the first period and we didn't get our legs under us until probably the second, and it ended up costing us."
Liles said the Hurricanes will aim to be better-prepared when they host the Boston Bruins on Friday.
"We need more of a sense of urgency," Liles said. "We're trying to come from behind for a playoff spot, and I don't think our sense of urgency was quite where it needs to be tonight."

Carolina's Andrej Nestrasil left the game at 15:43 of the second period after he was hit into the boards by Kadri. Nestrasil did not return because of a lower-body injury.
Hurricanes forward Jay McClement did not return after leaving with an upper-body injury at 2:15 of the first period. He played 24 seconds on one shift.
The Maple Leafs said before the game that injured forwards James van Riemsdyk and Joffrey Lupul will not play again this season.