It is officially New Year’s Eve, meaning that the calendar year of 2023 is coming to a close. Over the past year, there were some ups and downs for the Carolina Hurricanes. Some bright spots hosted the Stadium Series at Carter-Findlay Stadium on Saturday, February 18th, winning their third-straight division title and making a run to the Eastern Conference Final. The downside was losing in the Eastern Conference Final and struggling to start the 2023-24 season. However, the Hurricanes did finish off 2023 on a high note.
Coming into the Dec. 30 game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, they were in the middle of winning their previous two games versus the Nashville Predators (Dec. 27) and the Montreal Canadiens (Dec. 28). They hoped to win their third-straight game to cap off the year. That is exactly what they did on the road in Toronto. When the dust settled, the Hurricanes defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 to win their third game in a row to claim their 20th win of the season and end 2023 as victors.
Welcome Back, Michael Bunting
The Hurricanes traveled north of the border to face the Maple Leafs for the first time in the 2023-24 season. There were storylines coming into the game that were too good to ignore. Outside of Carolina looking to claim their third win in a row, forward Michael Bunting played against his former team for the first time since signing with the Hurricanes this past summer. The Scarborough, Ontario native, who grew up as a Maple Leafs fan, was looking to score against his former team for some “revenge,” as they say in hockey circles. Before signing with the Hurricanes back on July 1, Bunting played the previous two seasons in Toronto, tallying 46 goals and 122 points for his hometown team in 161 games.
As if the NHL scriptwriters knew how important this one was for Bunting, they made it known that things would go his way, as he scored the first goal of the game to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead 2:24 into the game. He essentially went right down Broadway in the middle of the faceoff circles to one-time a shot past Maple Leafs netminder Martin Jones. Sebastian Aho, who has been on a tear in his own right, placed a perfect pass from behind the net right onto Bunting’s stick to score on the power-play for Carolina.
Related: Hurricanes Sign Michael Bunting to 3-Year Contract
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