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Reimer gets 1st shutout, Leafs top Hurricanes

Feb 4, 2011 - 5:17 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - James Reimer stopped 27 shots to record his first career shutout, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0, at Air Canada Centre.

Reimer was playing in just his ninth career game for the Maple Leafs, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since a four-game winning streak from January 6-11.

Clarke MacArthur, Darryl Boyce and Kris Versteeg lit the lamp for Toronto, which had lost its previous five games against Carolina.

Cam Ward turned aside 38-of-41 shots for the Hurricanes, who have lost two in a row.

The Maple Leafs came out of the gates shooting, firing a total of 13 shots on net over the first 20 minutes. Ward, though, held strong between the pipes to keep it scoreless.

Toronto broke through at the 7:28 mark of the second. MacArthur's wrister from the point beat traffic in front and got past Ward to make it 1-0.

Midway through the frame, the home team killed off a 5-on-3 power play.

"He (Tim Brent) did the things that you need penalty killers to do," Toronto head coach Ron Wilson said. "He got at least two blocks and Luke (Schenn) got a big one, too. So you need sacrifice like that especially at that part. They're having an extended five-on-three. Actually two of your penalty killers are the guys in the box and you have to find a way to do it...and we did."

Boyce put the Maple Leafs up by two with 5:08 left in the middle stanza. The Hurricanes tried to clear the puck out of their own zone, but Boyce pinned himself along the boards to prevent the disc from passing him. Boyce skated in on net and fired a wrister past Ward.

Toronto took a 3-0 lead on Versteeg's goal at the 6:25 mark of third.

"I don't think our effort was terrible but I don't think it was good enough," Hurricanes captain Eric Staal said. "We need to be at our best consistently or we don't get the results."

Game Notes

Carolina had won five straight in Toronto...The Hurricanes will be without forward Jussi Jokinen for up to two weeks with a lower-body injury...Each team went 0-for-3 on the power play...Reimer was making his eighth career start.