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(Sports Network) - The NHL's stoppage for the Winter Olympics may not have been great timing for the Carolina Hurricanes, but the Toronto Maple Leafs were likely welcoming the extended hiatus.

Carolina will attempt to re-find its sizzling pre-break form when it skates into the Air Canada Centre tonight for a matchup with the cellar-dwelling Maple Leafs.

The Hurricanes have struggled mightily for most of this 2009-10 season, but the team caught fire during an 11-game stretch from January 24 until the league halted play for the Olympics in mid-February. Carolina went 9-2-0 over that time period and has won its last five contests, the most recent an impressive 5-2 home verdict over Atlantic Division leader New Jersey on February 13.

Jussi Jokinen and Ray Whitney each had two goals and an assist in the victory, and both players have played a large role in the Hurricanes' surge. Jokinen has racked up eight goals and four assists during a nine-game point streak, while Whitney has notched a point in five straight outings and has three goals and four helpers over that span.

"That line has been so good for us, five-on-five and five-on-four," said Carolina head coach Paul Maurice of the Whitney-Jokinen-Eric Staal grouping. "[Whitney] is a very competitive player and a very, very smart player. He's in the top three or four guys and the Ron Francis' of the world that see the game from the bench as well as the coach does. He's a very special player."

Staal finished with a pair of assists in the win and has generated 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) over the Hurricanes' last 15 games. The Carolina captain also captured a gold medal in the Vancouver Olympics as part of Team Canada, which defeated the United States in overtime on Sunday in the championship. Defenseman Tim Gleason earned a silver medal as a member of the U.S. squad.

Two other Hurricanes, forward Tuomo Ruutu and defenseman Joni Pitkanen, took home bronze medals playing for their native Finland.

Carolina, which still stands 14th out of 15 Eastern Conference clubs with 55 points, will be trying to win six in a row for the first time since a nine- game tear from March 18-April 7 of last season. The team will have to do so without regular goaltender Cam Ward, however, as he remains sidelined with a back injury that has kept him out since February 3.

Toronto is currently at the bottom of the East standings with a mere 49 points and lost nine of its final 11 games (2-7-2) before the break. In their most recent time out, the Maple Leafs were shut out in St. Louis by a 4-0 count on February 12.

The Olympics produced far better results for a few members of the Toronto organization. Head coach Ron Wilson guided the United States to a surprising second-place finish as well as a 5-3 triumph over the favored Canadiens in the preliminary round, and the roster was assembled by team general manager Brian Burke and included forward Phil Kessel, the Leafs' leader with 21 goals this season.

Toronto will be aiming to halt a two-game losing streak in this series, which includes a 4-2 setback at the Air Canada Centre on January 12. The Maple Leafs did post a 3-2 decision over the Hurricanes in Raleigh back on November 6 behind 34 saves from Jonas Gustavsson, a backup goaltender for the Swedish Olympic Team.

Carolina has won six of the last eight overall meetings between the teams and has prevailed in each of its last three trips to Toronto.