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Wolski helps Blueshirts down Carolina in shootout

Feb 23, 2011 - 6:49 AM Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Wojtek Wolski scored the game-winning goal in the shootout and the New York Rangers edged the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, at RBC Center.

Brandon Prust, Ryan Callahan, Mike Sauer tallied for the Rangers, who halted a two-game skid. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves in the victory.

Jussi Jokinen scored twice for the Hurricanes, who fell to 3-5-3 in the month of February and will host Pittsburgh on Friday. Cam Ward allowed three goals on 46 shots while Jay Harrison also scored for Carolina.

"Having the lead and letting it go, it's a tough way. Shootout loss is always, always tough," Harrison said. "But we battled hard. It was another playoff- style game for us."

After New York tied the score late in regulation and neither team was able to find the back of the net in overtime, the shootout began. Neither side scored through the first two shootout rounds before Lundqvist stopped Sergei Samsonov, the third Carolina shooter. Wolski then skated in and beat Ward with a high wrist shot as the Rangers celebrated the extra standings point.

"That's the identity of our team, really. We work hard every night, we're never going to quit," Wolski said. "I think that's something that you need going into the playoffs, and definitely during the playoffs."

The Rangers opened the scoring 2:08 into the game on Prust's ninth goal of the season. Sean Avery attempted a wraparound at the left post, which was saved by Ward. However, the rebound kicked loose to the opposite post and Prust was there to bang the puck into the back of the cage for the early New York lead.

With 3:25 to go in the first, the Hurricanes tied it up. A turnover by the Rangers at the blue line led to a breakaway by Harrison, a defenseman, who skated in all alone and fired a low wrister. The puck hit the left post, bounced off the back of Lundqvist's pad and trickled over the goal line.

Late in the second period, soon after Carolina captain Eric Staal was stopped on a short-handed breakaway chance, the Rangers moved ahead 2-1 on a deflection goal by Callahan at the exact same time that their power play ended. Mats Zuccarello fired a shot from the centerpoint and Callahan redirected it under Ward from the top of the crease with 14 seconds to go.

Jokinen's 13th goal of 2010-11 at the 3:32 mark of the third tied the score before he struck again less than three minutes later. Harrison's shot from the left point did not get completely through, but Jokinen corralled the loose puck in front, went to his backhand and slid the puck past Lundqvist from the top of the crease for a 3-2 Carolina lead at 6:10.

New York drew even with 1:50 remaining in regulation. Wolski held control along the lower portion of the left circle and dealt a centering pass, but the puck deflected off the stick of Harrison and the change of direction by his teammate fooled Ward as the puck bounced over the goal line.

Game Notes

Callahan notched his 16th goal of the season...Ward stopped 17 shots in the first period...The Rangers improved to 6-8-2 against the Southeast Division this season and also upped their solid road mark to 18-13-1...The Canes ended 0-for-3 on the power play, while New York was 1-for-4 with the extra skater.