Carolina Hurricanes 1-4 Toronto Maple Leafs
It was a complete performance from the Toronto Maple Leafs as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 away in a key match from a seeding standpoint. It took until the final moments of the opening period for the Leafs to strike first as Pontus Holmberg brought them into intermission with the lead. Auston Matthews doubled the advantage midway through the second period, putting them in a great position.
The Hurricanes outshot the Maple Leafs 52-35 in this match, but they were not efficient in front of goal. Toronto needed just 85 seconds in the final frame to make it 3-0 through William Nylander. Sebastian Aho reduced the deficit to two with 12 minutes left to play, but Carolina could not close the gap any further. John Tavares added a fourth to round out the scoring.
The result means that the Leafs are a point away from topping the Atlantic Division, as they go four points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is also three wins on the trot for the Torontonians. As for the Hurricanes, five losses in their last six.
Calgary Flames 5-2 San Jose Sharks
There is life for the Calgary Flames as they kept their playoff aspirations with a 5-2 victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks. They would fall behind a few minutes in as Tyler Toffoli gave the Sharks a shock lead. However, Mackenzie Weegar returned the game to parity six minutes later. With 5:45 left in the opening period, Adam Klapka gave the Flames their first advantage in the game.
That lead would last until the 4:20 mark of the second, when Jan Rutta tied things up once more. Yegor Sharangovich put Calgary back in front a minute and a half into the final frame. This time, they would not relinquish the lead. Matt Coronato made it 4-2 midway through, before Sharangovich added an empty netter towards the end.
The Flames are now two points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final wildcard spot. Moreover, they still have an extra game, which could be key. As for San Jose, they already know that they will finish bottom of the Western Conference, with the loss being their 49th in regulation and 60th overall.