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Stillman's late goal lifts Hurricanes past Panthers

Nov 13, 2007 - 5:17 AM SUNRISE, Florida (Ticker) -- Cory Stillman scored a pair of goals, including one in the closing minutes of the third period, to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday.

Justin Williams also scored twice for Carolina, which has scored four or more goals in seven of its last nine games.

Stillman recorded his second goal of the game with just 1:06 to play. He threw the puck at the net and it got under the pads of Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Florida defenseman Steve Montador tried to clear the puck as it trickled toward the goal line but just ended up knocking it into the net.

"Most of the credit should go to Bret Hedican for jumping in the play, skating hard," Stillman said. "We had a four-man rush. He threw the puck behind the net and I just threw it in the front trying to bank it off the goalie. I think their player (Montador) ended up shooting it right in the net."

"(Assistant coach Kevin) McCarthy told him just to be aware he (Vokoun) might be cheating on the dumps," Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. "And Stillman buried his head and put it in the middle of the net. It was a real head's up play by Cory."

The win was bittersweet for Carolina as Erik Cole was taken from the ice on a stretcher in the third period after colliding with Vokoun.

Cole was heading to the net when he was tripped from behind by defenseman Jassen Cullimore. Cole was sent airborne and landed headfirst into Vokoun's pads.

"I was telling the refs to call the doctors and pull out the stretcher because he was saying, 'It's (my) neck,'" Vokoun said. "He was saying, 'It hurts. It's my neck. It's my neck.'"

"From what I understand, he had movement in his limbs. I haven't heard from the doctors yet," Laviolette said. "Just with his previous injury, not knowing what's going on in there, it's better to be safe, so hopefully it's OK."

Stillman scored 52 seconds into the third period to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. Stephen Weiss tied the game for Florida with a tally just 18 seconds later.

"I lifted my head and saw he was behind the net, so I just took a shot from center. As soon as I wound up, I could see he was starting to cheat," Stillman said. "We thought it was going to be the lift and the break that we needed, but they came right back the next shift and scored. It was a battle from then on."

Williams put the Hurricanes back on top, 3-2, with his eighth goal of the season with 16:29 to play. David Booth tied the game for Florida with just under eight minutes to play and it stayed that way until Stillman's late goal.

Florida, which entered having won five of eight at home, took the lead just under three minutes into the game.

Jozef Stumpel swept in from the left circle behind defenseman Mike Commodore and backhanded the puck past goaltender Cam Ward just 2:56 in to the first period.

Both teams missed on scoring chances in a wild opening period. Stillman sent a shot glancing off the post with 11:13 to go, and just about a minute later Ray Whitney missed on a wide open net. The Panthers also had some great chances.

With seven minutes left, Booth exited the penalty box and hit the left side of the net on a breakaway.

With 2:24 to go, Ward had to do a split to stop Kamil Kreps on the doorstep. The Hurricanes tied it when Justin Williams sent the puck past Vokoun and just past the right post and into the net.

Rod Brind'Amour skated into the high slot and dropped the puck to ex-Panther Whitney, who sent a cross-ice pass to Frantisek Kaberle in the left circle. Kaberle threaded it to Williams, who notched his seventh goal of the season.

"Sometimes shots go in," Williams said. "You saw mine, just across the blue line, shooting pucks. Vokoun was really solid tonight. He made some big saves."

Both teams again had numerous chances in the second.

Carolina's Matt Cullen wristed a shot off the far post from the left circle with two minutes remaining.

A little over a minute later, Vokoun stopped Whitney on a rebound from just outside the crease. Kreps sent a shot off the left post for Florida early in the period.

Carolina has won eight of its last nine against Florida.