It could well go down as the singular moment that changed the course of the Carolina Hurricanes’ playoff push.
With five minutes remaining in the first period of a scoreless game, a missed pinch by Justin Faulk sprung the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews and William Nylander on a 2-on-1 back the other way. Brett Pesce was back, and played the rush as well as he could, but Matthews’ pass was perfect and there was nothing Petr Mrazek could do to keep Nylander from tapping home for a 1-0 lead.