Maple Leafs 3 - 4 Hurricanes
Final - OT
  for this game

'Canes beat Maple Leafs in OT

Dec 30, 2011 - 6:34 AM Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Eric Staal's second goal of the contest, a power-play marker coming with 1:51 left in overtime, sent Carolina over Toronto, 4-3, at RBC Center.

Staal ripped a blast over the shoulder of Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer from the right circle off a cross-ice pass from Justin Faulk for the winner.

"I thought our whole line was playing good tonight," said Staal. "When I got the first one I felt good, the second one felt even better."

Brandon Sutter and Zac Dalpe also found the back of the net for the Hurricanes, who have won three of four. Cam Ward stopped 21-of-24 shots for the victory.

Joffrey Lupul, Nikolai Kulemin and Nazem Kadri scored for the Maple Leafs, who slid to their seventh loss in 10 games. Reimer made 30 saves in defeat.

"A point is good but we always want to win, every night we go out there," said Reimer. "We had a let down in the third and it cost us a point."

Sutter put the home team on the board when he lifted a rising shot under the crossbar from the left circle 4:15 into the contest.

Kadri then slammed home a Clarke MacArthur rebound less than two minutes into the second.

Toronto went up 2-1 at the 6:36 mark of the third, when Kulemin knocked in the rebound of a Darryl Boyce chance from atop the crease.

It was a two-goal edge for the Leafs with 9:08 played on Lupul's score, but Staal's breakaway tally 40 seconds later made it a one-goal margin and a third-chance poke at the right post by Dalpe tied the game at 11:50.

Game Notes

Carolina has won two of three meetings with Toronto this season...Dalpe notched his first goal this season and his fourth career tally...Carolina forward Tuomo Ruutu saw his six-game point streak come to an end...Jiri Tlusty picked up two assists for the hosts.






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