Aho Adds Three More Points As Canes Beat Toronto

TORONTO - Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho recorded a third consecutive multi-point performance on Saturday, factoring in on all three goals en route to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Welcome Back...

Entering winners of their last two, the Canes arrived north of the border hoping to send their streak rolling into 2024.

The first visit back to Toronto for Michael Bunting since signing with Carolina this summer, #58 welcomed himself back before the Scotiabank Arena crowd had the opportunity to do so.

After Martin Necas drew a hooking call just 1:47 in, the Canes' power play extended their scorching streak, scoring for the seventh time in the last 14 tries. Seth Jarvis made a fantastic play along the wall to get the puck to Aho, who kicked off his evening by setting up Bunting in front.

The lone goal of the first period, the tally allowed the Canes to play with the lead and give Pyotr Kochetkov the opportunity to settle into the contest.

Power Play Stays Hot...

Taking the 1-0 advantage to the second period, the Canes relied heavily on their young netminder to preserve that lead.

After a scary moment toward the end of the first period left Kochetkov on the ice in a world of pain, he appeared to be at full strength for the middle stanza. Coming up with key saves on seemingly all of Toronto's top dogs, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander all had shots shut down by #52.

Kochetkov's efforts bided time until the Canes were able to extend their lead with another special teams goal.

With Max Domi in the box, an Aho-started zone entry let Andrei Svechnikov saucer a spectacular feed over to Seth Jarvis.

Held Strong Through The Finish...

Up 2-0 heading to the final frame of regulation, things got tight when Toronto snapped Kochetkov's shutout bid.

Coming 4:16 into the final stanza, the dangerous Maple Leafs were one shot away from tying the contest. They certainly had opportunities to do so, including a power play of their own in the middle stages, but Carolina came up with their third and best kill of the night.

Allowing no shots, the game remained 2-1 until Aho hit an empty net inside the final minute.

Toronto had one more goal in them, but it was too little, too late. When the final horn sounded the Canes had their third win in a row, 3-2.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on another major night for Sebastian Aho...

"He's getting rewarded.  We need that.  You look at all the good times and their top guys need to be their top guys.  He's starting to emerge and he's getting on the scoresheet every night.  That's what all the top guys do."

Sebastian Aho when asked about his play as of late...

"It's been a good stretch.  It's nice to produce. We weren't happy with our record three games ago, and we're still not happy, but we're going in the right direction and trying to keep it up."

Seth Jarvis, after scoring again tonight and being just one goal shy of matching his 2022-23 season total...

"I think it's just puck luck.  Last year I got a lot of tough bounces and I wasn't finishing the plays I should have.  This year I'm doing a better job.  I worked hard this summer on being a better goal-scorer and going back to my roots.  I came in in juniors scoring goals and it's something I like to do.  It's something I'm having success right now."

What's Next?

The Canes will fly home immediately post-game and will be off Sunday.  They will practice at Invisalign Arena on Monday. They'll then return to game action on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

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