Final
Cole scores game-winner as Hurricanes edge Wild
Mar 7, 2008 - 5:38 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Erik Cole was not around to see the fruits of his labor.Cole scored the game-winning goal at 9:41 of the second period and then was ejected in the third for defending a teammate as the Carolina Hurricanes posted a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Cam Ward stopped 26 shots for Carolina, which has won three straight and improved to 9-2-1 in its last 12 games.
"It was a good test for Cam," Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's played a lot of games now, and it was back-to-back. I thought he played a sharp game. There wasn't a lot he could do on their goals."
Matt Cullen and Scott Walker also tallied and defenseman Joe Corvo recorded two assists for the Hurricanes (36-29-5), who increased their lead over the idle Washington Capitals (32-28-8) in the Southeast Division to five points.
"We had a tough one last night," Cullen said of Carolina's 6-3 win over Atlanta on Wednesday. "To respond the way we did and kind of grind out an ugly one - a playoff-style hockey game - was big. Those are games we have to win.
"(We have) to be able to play the way we did and hang on to the lead, and I thought we carried the play for the most part of the game. It was a great game by us, and one that we needed."
With the Hurricanes on the power play, Cole snapped a 2-2 tie when he deflected a shot by Cullen past goaltender Josh Harding and into the right corner of the net for his 19th goal of the season.
"It was nice that our power play was able to generate some shots," Cole said. "I think it was real important, especially after the way they came out in the second period. They really came at us and they were able to tie it up, so it was a big goal."
Cole's goal saved the Hurricanes the embarrassment of losing a game in which they led, 2-0, after one period.
Just under six minutes into the third, however, Cole was given a game misconduct while defending teammate Eric Staal, who was injured on a check by Minnesota's Aaron Voros.
Voros checked Staal from behind, and the Hurricanes' leading scorer went head-first into the boards. While Staal lay on the ice, Cole fought Voros.
The All-Star Game MVP, Staal was shaken but remained in the game. Instead of dwelling on the incident, the 23-year-old elected to comment on his team's recent success.
"We've got a good thing going," said Staal, whose club has won six of seven. "We've got a good feeling in this locker room. Guys know where they sit in the lineup, guys know what they need to bring for us to win. When that happens, it results in wins."
Mikko Koivu and Pavol Demitra tallied for the Wild (37-26-5), who missed a chance to move out of a tie with the idle Calgary Flames (35-23-9) for first place in the Northwest Division.
Cullen opened the scoring at 12:30 of the first and Walker doubled the lead 99 seconds later with his ninth goal of the season.
However, Minnesota rallied as Demitra scored his 15th goal of the campaign with 1:58 left in the first. Koivu then tied the game at 2-2 just 19 seconds into the middle period, when he slipped the puck under Ward's pads on a breakaway.
Coming back, however, has not been easy of late for Minnesota, which has failed to score more than two goals in each of its last nine games. The Wild's slow start in this one bothered coach Jacques Lemaire.
"It's always a concern," he said. "It's always a concern to know if they'll be there."
"Our start obviously wasn't good because we spotted them two goals," Minnesota's Brian Rolston added. "After that, we played hard, but we can't spot them two goals and then start playing. The thing is that we're in that hockey game."
Harding stopped 25 shots for the Wild, who were 0-for-6 with the man advantage.
"Our power play has got to get going," Rolston said. "Regardless of spotting them two goals, we're still in the hockey game. But the difference was, they scored one on the power play and we didn't."
- NHL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 1 1 0 2
CAROLINA 2 1 0 3 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: CAR - MATT CULLEN 12 (JOE CORVO, SERGEI SAMSONOV) 12:30
CAR - SCOTT WALKER 9 (ERIC STAAL) 14:09
MIN - PAVOL DEMITRA 15 (PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD, BRIAN ROLSTON)
18:02
2ND PRD: MIN - MIKKO KOIVU 10 (AARON VOROS, MARIAN GAB
Mar 6 9:35 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 1 1 2
CAROLINA 2 1 3 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: CAR - MATT CULLEN 12 (JOE CORVO, SERGEI SAMSONOV) 12:30
CAR - SCOTT WALKER 9 (ERIC STAAL) 14:09
MIN - PAVOL DEMITRA 15 (PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD, BRIAN ROLSTON)
18:02
2ND PRD: MIN - MIKKO KOIVU 10 (AARON VORO
Mar 6 8:38 PM - NHL
MINNESOTA 2
CAROLINA 3
2ND PRD: CAR - (PP) MATT CULLEN 13 (JOE CORVO, SERGEI SAMSONOV) 9:41
Wild 2, Hurricanes 3 2nd - 10:19Mar 6 8:21 PM - NHL
MINNESOTA 2
CAROLINA 2
2ND PRD: MIN - MIKKO KOIVU 10 (AARON VOROS, MARIAN GABORIK) 0:19
Wild 2, Hurricanes 2 2nd - 19:41Mar 6 8:06 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 1 1
CAROLINA 2 2 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: CAR - JOE CORVO 10 (SERGEI SAMSONOV) 12:30
CAR - SCOTT WALKER 9 (ERIC STAAL) 14:09
MIN - PAVOL DEMITRA 15 (PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD, BRIAN ROLSTON)
18:02
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- -
Mar 6 7:46 PM - NHL
MINNESOTA 1
CAROLINA 2
1ST PRD: MIN - PAVOL DEMITRA 15 (PIERRE-MARC BOUCHARD, BRIAN ROLSTON)
18:02
Wild 1, Hurricanes 2 1st - 1:58Mar 6 7:44 PM - NHL
MINNESOTA 0
CAROLINA 2
1ST PRD: CAR - SCOTT WALKER 9 (ERIC STAAL) 14:09
Wild 0, Hurricanes 2 1st - 5:51Mar 6 7:33 PM - NHL
MINNESOTA 0
CAROLINA 1
1ST PRD: CAR - JOE CORVO 10 (SERGEI SAMSONOV) 12:30
Wild 0, Hurricanes 1 1st - 7:30Mar 6 7:32 PM
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