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Hurricanes handle Bruins

Oct 19, 2011 - 4:44 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Joni Pitkanen registered a goal and two assists, while Eric Staal and Tuomo Ruutu notched key back-to-back power-play goals late in regulation, giving Carolina a 4-1 decision over Boston in a testy contest from TD Garden.

Anthony Stewart also lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who have won three in a row after beginning the year with three straight defeats.

Cam Ward stopped 33-of-34 shots for the win.

"I think any time you face the Boston Bruins, it's a difficult night," Ward admitted. "It never comes easy. They have the passionate fans behind them, but we played the way we wanted to play and it worked out for us."

Rich Peverley recorded the lone score for the Bruins, who have lost four of six to start a season for the first time since 2006.

Tuukka Rask was shelled for all four goals on just 23 shots in his second start of the campaign.

Boston crawled back to 2-1 with 9:01 left in regulation as Peverley connected on a wrister.

But the home team put itself in a deep hole, picking up four penalties in 40 seconds. B's playoff hero Nathan Horton received a double minor for dropping the gloves against an unwilling Hurricanes opponent with 8 1/2 to play, captain Zdeno Chara committed a high-sticking infraction, then defenseman Dennis Seidenberg was sent off for boarding.

The initial Carolina 5-on-3 resulted in a Staal tally with 6:34 on the clock, as he tipped in a Jussi Jokinen feed right in front for a 3-1 game. The second two-man edge saw Chad LaRose feed Ruutu on the doorstep just over a minute later to make it 4-1.

Displeasure with the calls against Boston then prompted a delay after fans littered the ice with debris, but the Bruins withstood that bench minor. The defending champs didn't have anything left in the tank down the stretch.

"Well, I felt we were in the game, even when it was 2-0," Chara said. "We got it to a one-goal game but missed a bunch of big (penalty) kills."

Carolina took a 1-0 lead less than three minutes in, as Stewart followed up a scramble in front of Rask and chipped a shot over his glove from the right side.

Pitkanen doubled the 'Canes' edge with 9:41 to play in the middle period on a blast from the left circle off a rush that began in his own defensive zone.

Tensions boiled over with 5:41 to play in the second, and after a brawl which included every player on the ice and both goaltenders, Carolina wound up with a two-man advantage.

The Bruins managed to escape trouble, but still trailed by two after 40 minutes.

Game Notes

There were 25 penalties resulting in 94 minutes, with Boston accounting for 17 infractions (including four misconducts and two fighting majors) and 72 PIM...Bruins forward David Krejci was a late scratch with a mid-body issue...With cousins Brandon and Brett Sutter in uniform for Carolina, it marked the first time since the 1992-93 season that two Sutter brothers/relatives suited up for the same club (twins Rich and Ron in St. Louis)...The Hurricanes have won two of the four meetings, with the next matchup scheduled for January 14 in Raleigh.