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Samsonov tallies twice as Hurricanes down Devils

Feb 27, 2008 - 5:26 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Sergei Samsonov's night capped a busy day in Carolina.

Samsonov scored both goals - including the game-winner with 96 seconds left in overtime - and Cam Ward made 23 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, in overtime.

The Hurricanes (33-28-5, 71 points) maintained a five-point edge over the Washington Capitals (29-27-8, 66 points) in the Southeast Division with the victory. The Capitals defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-1, on Tuesday.

In overtime, Samsonov surged down the right wing before wristing a shot toward All-Star goaltender Martin Brodeur from the faceoff circle. Brodeur made the initial save, but Samsonov followed the shot all the way to the goal and slapped the bouncing rebound just over the netminder's outstretched stick for the game-winner.

Samsonov said the puck was bobbling a bit as he skated down the ice.

"I just figured I'd take a shot and see what happens," Samsonov said. "I went to the net and luckily it just bounced to my stick. It's nice to get those bounces once in a while, especially after we'd been cycling pretty well in the third period and getting some opportunities and chances."

It was the ninth goal of the season for Samsonov, who had tied the game at 1-1 early in the middle session.

The trading activity was busy right up to the 3:00 p.m. deadline, and both the Devils and Hurricanes added pieces for the playoff push. Carolina swapped left wings with the Chicago Blackhawks, sending Andrew Ladd away in exchange for Tuomo Ruutu.

New Jersey used the St. Louis Blues as its trading partner, strengthening its blue line by swapping injured right wing Cam Jansen for defenseman Bryce Salvador.

Brodeur said that blockbuster last-minute deals are generally not the style for the New Jersey franchise.

"We've been here for so long, most of us," Brodeur said. "We know exactly what to expect. (General manager Lou Lamoriello) never goes out and makes those moves at the end."

New Jersey struck first, opening up a 1-0 advantage just 1:50 into the second period when Brian Gionta grabbed a loose puck and streaked down the right side. Attempting to center the puck, Gionta sent a pass toward the mouth of the goal, where it glanced off the stick of a Carolina defenseman.

Carolina got back into it at the 5:57 mark on Samsonov's eighth tally of the season. The Russian left wing brought the puck into the zone and passed to Ruutu on the left, who sent the puck to Keith Aucoin on the left circle.

Brodeur saved Aucoin's wrister but could not control the rebound, and Samsonov stuffed the puck past the goaltender from the front of the crease. Ruutu, who arrived at the RBC Center just moments before faceoff, was credited with an assist.

Samsonov said the newest Hurricane wasted no time energizing his new teammates.

"Considering he just got here, he didn't even take warm-ups, it was a pretty impressive game for him," Samsonov said. "He brought a lot of energy, a couple of big hits and an assist on the first goal."

"Sometimes it's good to get here when you don't even get the chance to say 'hi' really, or shake hands with guys," Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's excited to be here and we're excited to have him."

A chippy first period resulted in a number of fights and nine penalties in the first 20 minutes. Ruutu made his presence felt early, delivering a hard check before drawing a holding penalty at the 8:27 mark.

Ruutu was later clipped by Patrik Elias' stick, bloodying his face which required 40 stitches to close, according to the team.

Devils center Michael Rupp knocked defenseman Tim Gleason out of the game with a low hit against the left boards, which resulted in a five-minute boarding penalty.

Gleason, who hit the boards face first, suffered a head injury and did not return.

Carolina enforcer Wade Brookbank made Rupp pay with 4:52 left in the first, grabbing him away from the play and getting in a few good swings before taking Rupp down to the ice. Brookbank drew two fighting majors Tuesday, pushing his penalty minutes total to 67 for the season.

"Ever since we've got 'Brooks' (Brookbank) up, we're a physical team now, and that might be something we didn't have before," Ward said. "Definitely, teams are recognizing that we can be physical, too."

Brodeur finished with 34 saves for New Jersey (37-21-6), which earned a point to give the team the Eastern Conference lead at 80 points.