RALEIGH, N.C. — Sebastian Aho scored his team-leading 32nd goal of the season with 2:26 remaining to rescue the Carolina Hurricanes in a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Aho’s goal came 32 seconds after Auston Matthews’ second goal for Toronto tied the game. Teuvo Teravainen added an empty-net goal.

Brent Burns, Jordan Staal and Stefan Noesen also scored for Carolina, which won for the fourth time in its last eight games to maintain in first place in Metropolitan Division. Jesper Fast and Martin Necas both two assists.

Pyotr Kochetkov made 41 saves for his first victory in his last three outings.

Calle Jarnkrok had Toronto’s first goal. Matt Murray made 23 saves. Matthews has 36 goals this season, including eight in the last nine games.

Jarnkrok and Matthews scored eight minutes apart in the second period as Toronto erased a 2-0 deficit.

Jarnkrok notched his 18th goal, including six this month. Matthews’ unassisted tally at 12:41 of the second period gave him his 35th goal of the season.

NOTES: Matthews registered nine shots on goal in the second period and 12 total entering the third period. He finished with 15 shots, tying the franchise single-game record. … Through two periods, Carolina had no player with more than three shots. … Toronto had 33 shots through two periods, marking the most for any Carolina opponent in a full game in the last 15 games.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: At Nashville on Sunday.

Hurricanes: Host Boston on Sunday.

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Rafael Harvey-Pinard electrified the Bell Centre with his first career hat trick as the Montreal Canadiens routed the Columbus Blue Jackets 8-2 on Saturday.

Nick Suzuki had one goal and three assists while Mike Hoffman scored one goal and added two assists. Jesse Ylonen and Brendan Gallagher both picked up one goal and one assist. Alex Belzile also scored for Montreal while Mike Matheson collected three helpers.

Sam Montembeault made 20 saves as the Canadiens (29-38-6) recorded back-to-back home wins.

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Lane Pederson and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets (23-42-7), who failed to record their first three-game win streak of the season.

Elvis Merzlikins made 16 saves before leaving the game with an injury with 2:58 remaining in the second period. In relief, Michael Hutchinson made five saves.

The Blue Jackets took only 1:32 to score the game’s first goal. Kent Johnson located Pederson in front of the net with a backhand pass and the forward completed the one-timer.

The Canadiens responded just over two minutes later. Hoffman, sporting a full-face visor after receiving a cross-check to the face from A.J. Greer in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins, beat Merzlikins with a wrist shot.

Montreal took its first lead of the game at 9:43 of the first. Ylonen took advantage of Brendan Gallagher’s screen in front of the net to send a wrist shot from atop the left faceoff circle.

Marchenko took a shot from a tight angle over Montembeault’s shoulder to tie the game but the net was knocked loose in the process. After video review, it was determined that the puck had crossed the goal line before the net was dislodged and the goal was allowed.

Harvey-Pinard helped Montreal regain their lead with a second-period hat trick.

Immediately after the opening faceoff, Matheson rushed along the boards and drove to the net. Merzlikins made the save but Harvey-Pinard zoomed into the crease to tap in Montreal’s third goal.

Harvey-Pinard then bagged his second goal of the night with a wrister from the left faceoff circle.

Gallagher gave Montreal a 5-3 lead by finding his way in the slot amongst the five Jackets skaters. He accepted Ylonen’s pass from behind the net to notch the one-timer.

Harvey-Pinard completed his hat trick before the end of the second. The winger redirected Hoffman’s pass past Merzlikins and the hats rained on the ice for the Saguenay, Que., native’s first hat trick.

Montreal added a seventh goal in the final frame when Belzile’s pass for Chris Tierney on the rush deflected off Columbus defenceman Andrew Peeke and into the net.

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Suzuki completed his four-point night by piercing through Columbus’ zone and beating Hutchinson with a wrist shot from the slot.

INJURY REPORT

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins left the game with an injury in the second period. The Latvian appeared to have suffered the injury while attempting to make a save on the play resulting in Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s hat trick goal. Micheal Hutchinson took over in relief.

EMERGENCY RECALL

The Columbus Blue Jackets made two emergency recalls before Saturday’s game. Forward Trey Fix-Wolansky and defenceman Jake Christiansen were tapped in to replace the injured Mathieu Olivier and Erik Gudbranson, respectively. Fix-Wolansky played in his 11th NHL game while Christiansen skated in the 27th of his young career.

UP NEXT

The Canadiens head to Buffalo to play the Sabres on Monday.

The Blue Jackets visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

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The Calgary Flames are pushing hard to sign 2021 first-rounder Matt Coronato, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

“The full-court press is on from the Flames,” Friedman said during Saturday’s 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “They have indicated very clearly that they want Coronato to join them.”

Calgary selected the right winger 13th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. He has spent the past two seasons playing for Harvard University, where he’s totalled 38 goals and 72 points over 68 games. 

The 20-year-old native of Greenlawn, New York, tallied four goals and seven points while representing the United States at the 2022 world juniors.

“There still has to be a bit more conversation,” said Friedman. “The player has to make his choice but there is no doubt the Flames have let Coronato know that they are ready for him to come.”

Harvard was eliminated from the NCAA tournament following an 8-1 loss to Ohio State on Friday. With that, Coronato’s college teammate Sean Farrell is also garnering attention.  

The defenceman, who was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2020 draft, is “strongly considering turning pro and joining the Canadiens, but nothing official at this time,” according to Friedman.

The 21-year-old Farrell potted 30 goals and 81 points across 58 games during his two seasons at Harvard.

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