Five things to know about the Carolina Hurricanes, who take on the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in a rare Sunday night game (7 p.m., Leafs TV/Sportsnet The FAN):
- The Hurricanes trail the Leafs by six points in the standings (43-37) but could be a lot closer if it wasn’t for their dismal record in overtime (1-6) and shootouts (1-3). Overall, Carolina has lost four straight and gone 1-2-4 in its last seven. The Leafs have gone to the shootout in their last four games, a club record.
- Carolina has several proven NHL stars but little-known Drayson Bowman has been a big contributor, scoring key goals in the last two games after the Hurricanes coughed up late leads. Jeff Skinner has been red hot with 10 goals in December, but Alexander Semin has been stone cold. His goal in the Canes’ final game before Christmas was his first goal in almost two months, including 12 games missed due to a concussion.
- Carolina is without former Leaf first-round pick Jiri Tlusty for two to three weeks after an appendectomy.
- The Hurricanes average the fourth-fewest penalty minutes per game at 8.76. The Leafs are third-worst at 14.08.
- More numbers: Carolina leads the league with seven short-handed goals. Manny Malholtra ranks third in the league with a 60.3 faceoff win percentage. Carolina also leads the league in takeaways with 398. Eric Staal has 37 points in 34 career games vs. Toronto, while Semin has 23 in 22 games.
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