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Ward makes 25 saves as Hurricanes blank Capitals

Mar 10, 2007 - 5:02 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- A full week off between games allowed Cam Ward to have a little fun.

Ward made 25 saves for his second shutout of the season and Justin Williams scored his 32nd goal to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Carolina (34-28-7) defeated Washington for the fourth time in seven encounters this season to move past the idle New York Rangers (33-27-7) for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

"Obviously, we're in a big stretch of play right now," Ward said. "We can't worry about other teams. We have to worry about what we have to do. We have to put ourselves in the best position we can to win games and make the playoffs."

"We need good efforts the rest of the way, especially at this point in the season," Hurricanes defenseman Mike Commodore added. "It's been a battle all season for the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th spots. ... There is no margin for error right now. We have to win as many games as we can down the stretch."

Last season's Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Ward stopped 10 shots in the first period, eight in the second and seven in the third for his second career shutout. He also blanked the Capitals on November 9.

"It's always great to get a shutout," Ward said. "It's a big stage in our season right now. Anytime you get a shutout, it reflects a great team effort."

Andrew Ladd opened the scoring at 1:42 of the second period by taking Scott Walker's setup feed from behind the net and stuffing the puck past goaltender Brent Johnson for his eighth goal of the season.

Carolina doubled the advantage with 7:07 remaining in the third, when captain Rod Brind'Amour intercepted a pass and fed Williams, who fired a snap shot from the slot into the top left corner of the net.

Brind'Amour's assist was his 50th of the season and 1,052nd career point, tying him with Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for 59th place on the all-time list.

Defenseman Niclas Wallin capped the scoring with an empty-netter, his second tally of the campaign, with 30 seconds to go.

Johnson registered 42 saves for Washington, which has been shut out in each of its last two during its six-game losing streak. The Capitals have just one win in their last 12 contests.

"It's tough when you don't score in 120 minutes of hockey games," Washington coach Glen Hanlon said. "It's hard right now. Was that the difference in the hockey game? We got outshot, 45-25."

"It's frustrating when our goalie plays his heart out and gives us a chance to win and we can't convert," Capitals defenseman Brian Pothier said. "We're a real young team. We have at least a dozen guys under the age of 23 (who) don't have a lot of NHL experience. We have to throw them out there. They have to learn trial by fire."

Washington, which will miss the playoffs for the third straight season, has 14 games remaining on the schedule, nine of which are on the road.

"We'll learn a lot about the players here," Hanlon said. "Some are going to survive it and some aren't. It's a test and this is a proving grounds for some people here. Some people are passing with flying colors and others are separating themselves from the group."