• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ladd scores twice as Hurricanes top Sharks

Mar 25, 2007 - 3:55 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Andrew Ladd and the Carolina Hurricanes are starting to look like the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Ladd scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, as the Hurricanes posted a crucial 6-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Cory Stillman had a goal and an assist and Scott Walker set up three tallies for the Hurricanes (38-29-8), who remained even with the Montreal Canadiens (39-31-6) for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Carolina, which won the first championship in franchise history last season, has one game in hand.

"This is our best hockey of the year," said Hurricanes defenseman Mike Commodore, who recorded an assist. "It took a while. Better later than never. We need to play like this. Obviously, if we don't play like we've been playing, we're done."

After the Sharks pulled within 4-3 midway through the third, Ladd completed his first multi-goal game of the season with 2:20 remaining in the period. During a power play, the fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft received a feed from Walker and jammed the puck between goaltender Vesa Toskala's pads from the doorstep for a two-goal lead.

"Walks tipped it back to me and I tried to shoot it quickly," Ladd said. "Luckily enough, it went in the net."

Earlier, Ladd gave the Hurricanes a seemingly comfortable 3-0 lead with just under two minutes left in the first period, when he jammed a rebound past netminder Evgeni Nabokov, who was pulled after allowing three goals on just 10 shots.

"(Defenseman Glen) Wesley put the puck on the net and I got my stick on the rebound," Ladd said.

"I don't know how to explain their first three goals," San Jose defenseman Kyle McLaren said. "The puck seemed to land on their sticks at just the right moments. That's not the kind of start we've been getting off to, and it's especially not the start you want against the Hurricanes. It put us behind the eight-ball."

Reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Joe Thornton cut San Jose's deficit to 5-4 with 1:56 to go, but Stillman sealed the victory with an empty-netter in the final seconds.

"We weren't scared or nervous," Commodore said. "As entertaining as the game was, I would have rather finished it 4-1. We kind of went to sleep a little bit and eased off the gas a little bit at the beginning of the third. Most of the third period, we didn't play great, but it was good enough to win."

Former Shark Ray Whitney, Erik Cole and Eric Staal also scored for Carolina, which has won three in a row and and five of seven.

Jonathan Cheechoo scored his sixth goal in three games and captain Patrick Marleau added two assists for the Sharks (46-26-4), who remained four points behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks (44-19-12) in the Pacific Division.

Thornton added his league-leading 83rd assist for San Jose, which failed to notch a point for the first time in 11 games (8-1-2).

Bill Guerin, who scored his seventh goal in as many games for the Sharks, gave the Hurricanes credit but lamented his club's sluggish start.

"I think (the Hurricanes) are a desperate team," Guerin said. "They probably just got themselves back into the playoff picture with that win tonight. I think we were just a little bit on our heels. Things have been going pretty well for us lately. We maybe weren't ready for the game."