MAPLE LEAFS (1-7-5) at HURRICANES (2-9-3)

Last 10 -- Toronto 1-5-4; Carolina 0-7-3

Season series -- It's their first meeting of the season. Last season, Carolina took 3 of 4 from Toronto.

Big story -- Easily the biggest story of this clash is that someone has to win it. The Leafs and 'Canes have one win combined in their last 20 games, and their 14 combined points are more than the individual totals of only seven teams.

Team scope:

Maple Leafs -- It's hard to sugarcoat things when a team has won one game in 13 tries. The offense is bad, the defense is bad, but GM Brian Burke likes the way his team is playing and the return of Phil Kessel is definitely a reason for optimism.

"Hopefully he doesn't get the pressure from people," Matt Stajan told the Toronto Star. "I know as a team we're not doing that to him. We're going to help ease him in and hopefully he can just do what he does best."