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Ward looks to extend Hurricanes scintillating start

Oct 24, 2007 - 1:50 PM Buffalo (3-4-0) at Carolina (5-1-3) 7:00 pm EDT

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- The Carolina Hurricanes have rejoined the NHL's elite and they have a familiar face to thank for it.

Cam Ward and the Hurricanes host the Buffalo Sabres at the RBC Center on Wednesday.

Carolina, which missed the playoffs last season after winning the Stanley Cup in 2005-06, has rebounded in this campaign, trailing only Ottawa and Minnesota with 13 points after nine games.

Much of the early success can be attributed to the play in net by Ward, who is 5-0-2 with a 1.83 goals-against average so far. While he has yet to record a shutout, he has allowed just one goal in four of his seven starts.

This is a drastic departure from the 2006-07 season in which the Hurricanes' 2002 first-round draft pick went 30-21-0 with a 2.93 GAA. Carolina will look to avoid repeating last season's fate against the Sabres, who swept the four-game season series.

The recent stellar goaltending from Ward does not bode well for Buffalo, which has been held to two goals over its last two games after scoring 18 during a three-game win streak.

The lack of offense during the two-game skid could be explained by the absence of the Sabres' second-leading goal scorer, defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, who has missed the last two contests but is expected to return soon after injuring his shoulder October 15 against Toronto.