TORONTO — In an exciting match on Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs triumphed over the Carolina Hurricanes with a score of 6-3, highlighted by Alex Steeves scoring his first goal in the NHL.

The Maple Leafs surged early, thanks to impressive performances from multiple players. Pontus Holmberg shone with two goals and an assist, while John Tavares contributed with a goal and an assist of his own. David Kampf and Auston Matthews also found the back of the net for Toronto. As the Hurricanes started to close the gap to 4-3 in the third period, Matthews and Holmberg iced the game with empty-net goals. Notably, Holmberg’s first goal came when Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal inadvertently scored an own goal.

Steeves, aged 25, is having a remarkable season in the AHL, where he leads with 29 goals. He also notched an assist during his twelfth appearance in the NHL. In goal for Toronto, Anthony Stolarz was impressive, stopping 31 shots throughout the game.

On the side of Carolina, Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrei Svechnikov managed to each score a goal and provide an assist, while Jaccob Slavin chipped in a goal as well. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov faced 23 shots, saving 17 of them.

The game had its moments of controversy and interest. Before the puck dropped, there were sections of cheering and booing from the Toronto crowd during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” an ongoing trend in Canada reflecting discontent over past political tensions between the U.S. and Canada.

Additionally, the date marked precisely five years since a memorable incident in which the Hurricanes had to enlist emergency backup goalie David Ayres, a Zamboni driver, against the same Maple Leafs team when both their regular goalies became injured. Ayres famously led the Hurricanes to a stunning 6-3 victory that night.

A significant moment in the game occurred after Kampf’s goal, which put the Maple Leafs up 3-0. The Hurricanes began to gain momentum, but Stolarz’s impressive saves helped maintain the lead. William Nylander then assisted Tavares for the team’s fourth goal shortly after.

Another notable achievement was Brent Burns reaching his 900th consecutive game, a streak that dates back to November 21, 2013. With this milestone, he became the sixth player in the history of the NHL to achieve such a feat.

Looking ahead, the Maple Leafs are set to embark on a four-game road trip, commencing their journey on Sunday against Chicago. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes will be facing off against Montreal on Tuesday.