TORONTO — Carolina Hurricanes right wing Chad LaRose had a goal and two assists while goaltender Justin Peters stopped 32 shots as the Hurricanes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 Tuesday night in the teams' first game since the Olympic break.
Tuomo Ruutu, Brandon Sutter, Jussi Jokinen and Sergei Samsonov also scored for the Hurricanes, and Joni Pitkanen had two assists.
In just his third NHL start, Peters stopped every shot the Leafs threw his way until John Mitchell finally broke the shutout bid with five minutes to go in the third period.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere was shaky in goal for Toronto, finishing with 25 saves.
With both teams struggling this season, it's expected they will be among the busier teams during Wednesday's NHL trade deadline.
Leafs left winger Alexei Ponikarovsky sat out Tuesday night's contest, while Carolina defenseman Aaron Ward and center Stephane Yelle were healthy scratches for the Hurricanes. All three players are eligible for unrestricted free agency this July.
Carolina's Ray Whitney, another pending unrestricted free agent, showed why a contending club might covet his playmaking skills on Carolina's second goal, which came 46 seconds into the second. The slick forward found Jokinen streaking toward the Leafs net and Jokinen beat Giguere high.
Notes
Center Jamie Lundmark played his first game with the Maple Leafs after the club claimed him on waivers from Calgary on Feb. 13. … Defenseman Alexandre Picard, whom Carolina acquired in a trade with Ottawa before the Olympic break, made his Hurricanes debut. … Eric Staal picked up an assist in his first game back with the Hurricanes since winning a gold medal with Canada's Olympic team.