RALEIGH, N.C. — In an impressive display of skill, Jordan Staal netted a hat trick, guiding the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday evening.

Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake, and Seth Jarvis also contributed goals for the Hurricanes, while goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov made 30 saves to secure his first win at home since December 17.

The Maple Leafs, who had a five-game winning streak coming into this match, saw Nicholas Robertson, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews find the back of the net. Joseph Woll, their netminder, recorded 28 saves during the game.

Toronto initially established a 2-0 advantage, but Staal evened the score at 2-2 with his first goal of the night at 5:45 remaining in the opening period. He quickly followed up with a second goal just 35 seconds into the second period, giving Carolina a 3-2 lead. Staal then struck again a mere 20 seconds into the third period, further extending the Hurricanes’ lead to 5-3.

Takeaways from the game highlight both teams’ performances. For the Maple Leafs, despite their strong start, Nylander had been quiet recently in terms of scoring, managing only one goal across the prior eight games, although he did score on a breakaway this time. In contrast, the Hurricanes are set to honor Eric Staal by retiring his number (12) this Sunday. Jordan Staal’s hat trick added an exciting chapter to the family’s legacy, recalling his first career hat trick scored against the same team when he was just 18 years old.

A critical moment in the match occurred early in the second period, when the teams exchanged special-teams goals. However, Carolina took a decisive 4-3 lead following rookie Jackson Blake’s goal at 4:58. Juha Jaaska assisted on the play, marking his very first career point in the NHL.

A key statistic emerging from this matchup involved Martin Necas, who had begun the season strongly with 14 goals in the initial 25 games but had since struggled, scoring only once in the last 16 games.

Looking ahead, the Hurricanes are scheduled to host the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night, while the Maple Leafs will also meet the Canucks in front of their home crowd on Saturday night.