Maple Leafs 3, Hurricanes 1

The Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1 after a sloppy performance in Toronto on Thursday night.

The loss leaves many fans shaking their heads, wondering what happened to the smooth skating and well organized team they have been watching the past two months.  Of course it did not help that the club lost Jay McClement to an injury his first shift of the game and Andrej Nestrasil to a hit along the boards by Nazem Kadri in the second period.

Coach Bill Peters felt that the team was "slipping" so switched up the lines in yesterday's practice.  His team continued to slip in this game.

Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier went the distance and earned his first win since January 6th.

After being outshot 15-6 in the first period, the Canes ended up outshooting the Leafs 31-29 for the game but their powerplay was ineffective throughout.

Behind 1-0 midway through the opening period, John-Michael Liles scored against his former team before the end of the first.  The Canes could not light the lamp again.

The game got a bit chippy at the end, but it was too little too late for Carolina.

Next up for the Canes will be the Bruins on Friday night at the PNC.

For post game quotes and a recap click here.