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Walker helps Hurricanes get past Panthers

Mar 14, 2007 - 4:43 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- In need of a win, the Carolina Hurricanes turned to Scott Walker and the long-lost power play.

Walker snapped a tie late in the second period with a man-advantage goal as the Hurricanes skated to a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.

Cory Stillman and captain Rod Brind'Amour also scored for Carolina (35-28-8), which is one point ahead of Toronto (34-27-9) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We know where we're at and there's no time to get too excited," Brind'Amour said. "It's good we won, but now we've got to forget about it and prepare for the next one. One win is not enough, we've got to string together a bunch and keep winning to climb in the standings."

After Jozef Stumpel tied the game at 1-1 at 11:21 of the second period, the Hurricanes scored their first power-play goal in seven games to regain the lead. With 16 seconds to go in the session, Andrew Ladd unleashed a shot that could not be handled by goaltender Ed Belfour.

The puck trickled between the legs of the veteran netminder before Walker reached in and knocked it over the goal line for his 20th goal for the season and a 2-1 edge.

"Walker's was a big goal," Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. "The specialty teams were pretty good tonight."

"We've just got to get the wins," Walker said. "I thought it was a big effort by everybody. The win is nice, but we've got to come back 11 more times."

Brind'Amour added insurance with a shorthander in the third.

Defenseman Glen Wesley stole the puck in his own zone and fed Chad LaRose, who raced up ice and dished to Brind'Amour. The veteran's initial shot was stopped by Belfour, but Brind'Amour tapped in the rebound with 5:18 remaining for a 3-1 advantage.

"When I saw the goaltender move to the outside, that's when I went for it," Brind'Amour said. "I sent it in there and then just banged away at it. Obviously, it was a big goal. It took the pressure off for the last few minutes."

John Grahame stopped 26 shots - including 10 in the third period - for Carolina, which has won five straight meetings with Florida.

"The effort was definitely there, and we played with a purpose tonight," Grahame said. "It was like controlled craziness. We weren't all over the place. We were doing it with a purpose. I think we showed what we're capable of."

Belfour made 31 saves for the Panthers (29-28-13), who fell seven points behind the Hurricanes for eighth in the East.

"We were trying to close the gap to three points, and now it is seven," Panthers captain Olli Jokinen said. "It's a tough loss."