The Carolina Hurricanes will look to keep pace in the race for first in the Eastern Conference as they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night at 7 p.m. EST.

The Hurricanes are 43-19-6 and first in the Metropolitan Division. They are up by eight points for the division lead and two points for the first seed in the conference. The Canes just beat the Pittsburgh Penguins at home 6-5 in overtime. Carolina scored in every period, blew a one-goal lead four times, was down a goal late in the game, and tied it with under three minutes left in regulation. The Hurricanes outshot the Penguins 44-35, outhit them 26-24, and won in faceoffs 31-28. The power play was 1-for-2 and the penalty kill was 3-for-4 on stops. Jackson Blake was the first star with one goal and two assists.

The Maple Leafs are 29-28-12 and seventh in the Atlantic Division. They are 12 points out of the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and will probably be playing a spoiler role the rest of the season against teams trying to make the playoffs or at least mess up playoff seeding. Toronto just lost to the New York Islanders at home 3-1. The Islanders scored two goals in the first, the Maple Leafs scored early in the second, and New York got an insurance goal at the halfway mark. Toronto outhit New York 20-9, but were outshot 34-27 and lost in faceoffs 35-33. The power play was 0-for-3 and the penalty kill was 4-for-6 on stops. Steven Lorentz was the third star with one goal.

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Note: The above data was collected on March 19, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

Carolina Hurricanes

Toronto Maple Leafs

Carolina is fifth in scoring, ninth in goals against, 12th on the power play, and 15th on the penalty kill. Seth Jarvis leads the team in goals. The Hurricanes are 18-10-4 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Canes continue to lean on a structured forecheck and a strong five-on-five play. They have been great at controlling the pace and limiting chances. Carolina is balanced on both sides of the puck and will look to keep the high-volume shooting going.

Toronto is 16th in scoring, 29th in goals against, 20th on the power play, and fourth on the penalty kill. William Nylander leads the team in assists and points. The Maple Leafs are 17-12-7 at home and 2-5-3 in their last 10 games. Losing Matthews is massive because he is the top offensive driver and now secondary scorers will need to play bigger roles. The team has lost 10 of 12 and is really trying to show some fight, but the scoring just isn't showing up. Also, goaltending has been inconsistent and special teams aren't being special.

Best Bet: Hurricanes Spread

Carolina needs to keep pace for the one seed and will look to take advantage of the slumping Maple Leafs. The Canes will attack on special teams play and keep the scoring trending up.