Despite the sheer contrst in the teams' positions in the Eastern Conference, the Leafs gave the Canes all they could handle. In the end, the away team ran away 4-3 winners in overtime.
Dakota Joshua got the Buds on the board first midway through the first, only for Carolina to fire back with two goals to take a lead in the middle of the second through Jordan Staal and Eric Robinson.
The Leafs had an answer to that moments later, when John Tavares tied the game at two. However, the Hurricanes still went into the scond intermission ahead thanks to K'Andre Miller's shorthanded goal.
William Nylander forced overtime when the Swede converted his chance with 6:10 left in regulation. In the end, the Canes needed just 41 seconds of the extra frame before Alexander Nikishin ended the game.
Carolina remain on top of the Eastern Conference with their third win in their last four. The Leafs, meanwhile, are second to bottom, having conceded a whopping 245 goals.
Elsewhere, the Colorado Avalanche got back to winning ways with a 4-1 defeat of the Chicago Blackhawks. Martin Necas and Brock Nelson got the guests in front in the opening period, with Nazem Kadri and Valeri Nichushkin rounding out the scoring after Wyatt Kaiser got the Blackhawks on the board.
The Anaheim Ducks also won 4-1 in their game away to the Utah Mammoth to take sole possession of fourth spot in the West. They had to come from behind, with four different players finding the back of the net in the victory.
In Calgary, the Flames prevailed 4-1 over the visiting Florida Panthers, while the Washington Capitals topped the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in the American capitol.
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