Carolina 0 @ Toronto 3

Leafs defeat defending Cup champs

The Toronto Maple Leafs came home Wednesday night to take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes and their young standout goaltender Cam Ward.

The Leafs showed a strong transition game against the speedy Canes, putting big pressure on their D corps and Ward all game. The 2nd year goalie cracked with about 5 minutes left in the 1st, as Ponikarovsky finished a gorgeous give and go with Kyle Wellwood to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead.

Ward could be faulted on the 2nd goal, a blast from the point by Pavel Kubina. The shot was not screened and simply beat Ward on the glove side. The goal gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead and seemed to take the wind out of Carolina's sails. Bryan McCabe would score his 3rd of the season in the third to put the icing on the cake. The Leafs took the game 3-0, Andrew Raycroft getting his 8th shutout of the season.

SHOTS

Carolina 14
Toronto 23

HITS

Carolina 47
Toronto 25

3 STARS

1) TOR Ponikarovsky 1G
2) TOR Kubina 1G
3) TOR Raycroft 14svs

gg Shucker!