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Hurricanes blow away Sabres with big third period

Oct 25, 2007 - 3:33 AM By Joe Johnson PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Eric Staal benefited from a lucky bounce to spark the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

Staal poked in a rebound at the right goalpost after goaltender Ryan Miller blocked defenseman Bret Hedican's heavy shot from the blue line. The goal was Staal's seventh of the season and jump-started a dominant third period for the Hurricanes.

"I saw it drop at the post and I just kind of jumped over the goalie to put it in," Staal said. "It was nice to come out in the third period and get a couple goals."

Staal later picked up an assist on Jeff Hamilton's power-play goal that gave Carolina a 4-2 cushion with 12:20 left in the game.

Two minutes later, Cory Stillman recorded his fourth tally of the season with a tip-in from the slot.

"Once we found our groove in the third, it looked pretty good," said right wing Ray Whitney, who netted a goal in the second period that briefly gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead.

Jason Pominville scored a pair of goals for Buffalo, which has lost three straight and still is looking for its first win on the road. The Sabres won all four meetings between the teams last season, and the Hurricanes' last victory over Buffalo was in Game Seven of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals.

"Once they got one (in the third period), it seems like we stopped playing and they kept on coming," Pominville said. "It seems like we stopped working and they took it to us. They're a speedy team. They've got a lot of guys who can make plays. We weren't desperate enough and they made us pay."

Carolina outshot Buffalo, 43-21, and kept Miller under seige in the third period, unleashing 16 shots at the netminder.

"We haven't reacted well in those types of situations," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "We haven't reacted well in tight games. I think that is an area of concern."

Captain Rod Brind'Amour had a goal and assist for the Hurricanes as he has recorded points in nine of his first 10 games. He tallied 38 seconds into this contest to give Carolina a quick 1-0 lead.

Buffalo had a pair of 5-on-3s in the second period but only was able to convert on one. Pominville tied the game at 2-2 when he took a pass through the crease and beat goaltender Cam Ward at 15:22 as Staal and Craig Adams sat in the penalty box.

Hedican capped the scoring with a power-play goal with 2:19 left in the final session for the Hurricanes, who improved to 3-0-1 at home.