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Walker, Stillman lead Hurricanes to comeback win vs. Panthers

Jan 12, 2007 - 5:58 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- It took a big deficit and a goaltending change, but the Carolina Hurricanes continued to beleaguer the Florida Panthers.

Chad LaRose, Scott Walker and Erik Cole each had a goal and an assist as the Hurricanes rallied for six goals in the third period en route to a 6-4 victory over the Panthers.

With Carolina trailing, 3-0, after two sessions, LaRose and Cole made it a one-goal game before Walker forged a tie at 8:02.

"For a lot of the second period, maybe we were a little too worried about matchups," Cole said. "Guys weren't letting it fly. In the third, it started with Rosey (LaRose) causing a turnover and just trying to get pucks at the net. Then we were off."

"You want something to happen early, and we got positive momentum going," Walker said. "We had 20 minutes to get three."

After a steal by LaRose, Eric Belanger received a pass and found Walker, who was behind the net. At the left goalpost, Walker jammed the puck past goaltender Alex Auld to knot the contest at 3-3 with 11:58 left in the period.

"We've talked about being down before and we can come back," Walker said. "We hadn't done it really well this year."

Cory Stillman put the Hurricanes ahead 93 seconds later with a power-play tally and Craig Adams completed the five-goal surge 27 seconds afterward for a 5-3 advantage.

"Not a lot was said between periods," Stillman said. "We wanted to come out in the third and play our game and involve everybody. When you look at our team and every line scores, we're good. That's what happened tonight in the third period. We got output from everybody, and when we can do that, we can roll the lines."

Stillman received a return pass from defenseman Andrew Hutchinson and beat Auld with a slap shot before Adams knocked in the rebound of blue-liner Mike Commodore's shot for his seventh of the season.

"It was an exciting comeback and win we definitely needed,"' LaRose said. "It was a good third period."

After captain Olli Jokinen pulled Florida within one in the final minute with his second goal of the game and fifth in two nights, Ray Whitney sealed Carolina's ninth win in the last 12 meetings between the teams with an empty-netter with 13 seconds to go.

"It was disappointing to come out and play two periods like that," Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said. "We are capable of beating anyone in the league and are capable of a third period like that, and yet we don't compete very hard in the first two periods. We should expect more of ourselves."

Captain Rod Brind'Amour had three assists and Hutchinson and Belanger added two apiece for Carolina, which has won three straight overall and nine of its last 10 at home against Florida.

Stephen Weiss had a goal and two assists and Juraj Kolnik netted one tally and set up another for the Panthers, who have lost four of five.

"We were up, 3-0, and we gave up five unanswered goals," Panthers defenseman Mike Van Ryn said. "Five goals in one period is unacceptable. It's not one guy, it's every one of us. I'm doing the talking, but it is me as much as anybody else."