TORONTO -- Strange, confounding and remarkable.

Darcy Tucker settled on the word ``weird'' to describe how his never-quit Toronto Maple Leafs have endured the postseason.

``Playoffs is a weird bird,'' Tucker said. ``One thing about our team is we find ways to adapt to whatever sort of game is being played. And I think that falls upon the leaders of our hockey club, which is a testament to how well they go out there and perform.''

Tucker was credited with the winner -- the puck banking in off his skate -- in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Carolina, forcing Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The series resumes in Toronto on Tuesday.

The win cut Carolina's best-of-seven series lead to 3-2. And it further cemented the Maple Leafs' reputation for being the postseason's most resilient team, improving to 4-0 when facing elimination -- including two Game 7 victories.

Earlier in the playoffs, the Leafs were winning despite missing as many as eight regulars due to injury. Now they're doing it without coach Pat Quinn, who spent most of last week in the hospital -- missing Games 3 and 5 -- being monitored for an irregular heartbeat.

Assistant Rick Ley, who's filled in for Quinn, said his boss is ready to return for Tuesday's game.

``Everything looks great. I talked to him after the game last night. He sounds ready to go,'' Ley said after giving the Leafs a day off on Sunday. ``We just talked about how we live to fight another day.

``Lesser teams would have crumbled, but our guys have hung in there.''

Goaltender Curtis Joseph deserves much of the latest credit, stopping 27 shots in Saturday's victory.

``We are a team that is very scrappy,'' Joseph said. ``We have a lot of characters, a lot of tenacious guys, and we are bordering on the combustible. That's the way we play.''

Joseph has been at his best when the Leafs needed him most. In the four games Toronto has faced elimination, Joseph has allowed five goals, twice recording shutouts.

Only 16 teams have rallied from 3-1 playoff deficits. Joseph was a member of two of them -- in 1991 with St. Louis, and in '98 with Edmonton.

``The feeling on that team was they really believed,'' said Joseph, referring to the Oilers, who came back to beat Colorado. ``I see this team believing in ourselves. When push comes to shove, we can come up with a big game.''

The Hurricanes also have faith, seeking their first Stanley Cup finals berth. Carolina clinched both of its previous series in six games, and both times on the road.

``We are not finicky about (winning) the fourth game. We don't really care where it happens,'' Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said. ``But we would be a lot happier doing it on the road in Game 6 than we would have to do it in Game 7.''

Saturday's loss dropped the Hurricanes record to 7-3 in one-goal games this postseason -- two of those losses coming against Toronto.

``Doesn't every team play it's best hockey when it has no other option?'' said Maurice, who also gave his team Sunday off. ``Interestingly enough, both teams can say that about themselves. That's probably why we're playing against each other.''

Hurricanes goalie Arturs Irbe welcomed the day off.

``Hopefully this refreshes us, and we don't leave our heads hanging when we come back,'' said Irbe, who's limited the Leafs to five goals. ``This team has proven they know how to come back, and start where we left off.''