RALEIGH, N.C. _ The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four times in the second period Friday but couldn't flatten the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Leafs had to hold off the hard-charging Canes in the third for a 5-4 win at PNC Arena.
The Canes trailed 4-1 after the second period and 5-2 in the third. But goals by Carolina's Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin pulled the Canes within 5-4 in a tense final four minutes.
The Leafs took control in the second when Zach Hyman scored in the first minute of the period. Josh Leivo scored off the rush, former Canes defenseman Ron Hainsey had a goal and James van Riemsdyk picked up the Leafs' fourth in an impressive period of hockey.
Only the work of goalie Frederik Andersen in the first kept the Leafs from possibly falling behind. The Canes dominated the period, getting off 14 shots to the Leafs' four.
Andersen, once a Carolina draft pick, made all the plays, all the stops. He twice denied center Victor Rask, a healthy scratch for Carolina the past two games, and made a handful of strong stops to keep it a scoreless game after 20 minutes.
Derek Ryan scored off a Jeff Skinner pass in the second, and Jordan Staal early in the third on a delayed-penalty sequence. Patrick Marleau's goal boosted the Leafs' lead to 5-2 but the Canes kept pushing, outshooting the Leafs 47-25.
The Canes were coming off a brutal 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday that led to a Thanksgiving Day practice, and gave veteran goalie Cam Ward the start. They had a lot of jump in the first period, but loose plays and missed defensive assignments in their zone were costly in the second.
By the third, Ward was out and Scott Darling in net. Staal's goal pulled Carolina within 4-2, but Patrick Marleau's goal for the Leafs made it 5-2.
The Canes close a homestand Sunday against the Nashville Predators and then comes the real grind: 10 of 12 games on the road.
