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He became the ninth player in NHL history to score at least 100 goals and win the Stanley Cup with multiple fra


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elaine95
Date Feb. 23rd 06:52 AM Icon 483 Date 0

 

RALEIGH <a title="St. Louis Blues T-Shirts Authentic" href="www.officialblues.com Louis Blues T-Shirts Authentic</a> , N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes grew accustomed over the years to seeing Cam Ward in goal and winning games. Both those things happened again Monday night — but this one was different.The winningest goalie in Carolina history took the loss in his first game here as a visitor, with Sebastian Aho scoring 1:16 into overtime to lift the Hurricanes past Ward’s new team, the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2 and spoiling the goalie’s emotional return.“Obviously, I have a lot to be thankful for, my 13 years here, and wanted to put forth a strong effort,” Ward said. “Unfortunately, we came to win, and it just slipped away there in overtime.”Teuvo Teravainen and Micheal Ferland scored power-play goals 66 seconds apart late in the second period for Carolina, which has earned points in three straight and beat Chicago for the second time in four nights. But the two wins over the Blackhawks are their only victories since Oct. 26.“We haven’t won a lot lately and obviously, we need wins to get some confidence,” Aho said. “We’ve played in many games well, but we haven’t found a way to get those wins <a title="St. Louis Blues Hoodies Authentic" href="www.officialblues.com Louis Blues Hoodies Authentic</a> , but this one feels definitely good.”Ward stopped 37 shots, Jonathan Toews scored a deflected goal and Alex DeBrincat added a goal, but the Blackhawks lost their eighth straight.Carolina’s Scott Darling made 33 saves against his former team, in regulation coming up with a slick glove save to stop Patrick Kane on a 2-on-1 and making a left pad save to stop Nick Schmaltz on a breakaway.Aho’s winner came after he took a pass at the blue line, then skated in before drifting across the net and beating Ward with a wrist shot. Ward had stopped Aho on a breakaway earlier in the game and he wanted another shot at his former teammate.“I got the second chance and I saw (Ward) going down and it was east-west and I knew he had to move,” Aho said.For Ward, it was a tough end to his first game as a visitor in the arena where he won the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy and hoisted the Stanley Cup.He set franchise records with 318 victories, 568 starts and 27 shutouts during 13 seasons with the Hurricanes before he was allowed to leave as a free agent and signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Blackhawks in July while Carolina opted to give Petr Mrazek a one-year, $1.5 million contract.“I think it took me a little bit to calm down,” Ward said. “Obviously there were a little bit of nerves coming back, coming back and playing your former team, you so badly want to play well, and I felt like as the game progressed <a title="St. Louis Blues Hats Authentic" href="www.officialblues.com Louis Blues Hats Authentic</a> , it got better and better.”Toews scored the game’s first goal with 10:53 left in the first. Parked in front of Darling, he redirected Henri Jokiharju’s one-time blast from the point for his third goal in six games. DeBrincat made it a 2-0 game with 9:11 left in the second with a blast from between the circles.Carolina tied it with two rapid-fire power-play goals. Teravainen made it 2-1 three seconds into a delay of game minor on Brent Seabrook, and Ferland followed with his goal 26 seconds into Jokiharju’s slashing penalty.“Gave up two quick goals, not fun, but still had our chances to try and distance ourselves in the game,” Toews said. “Just the way things are going right now that we didn’t find a way to get up a few more goals or two.”NOTES: Carolina LW Jordan Martinook and Seabrook traded punches midway through the third after Seabrook hit Hurricanes rookie RW Andrei Svechnikov into the boards. Seabrook received a boarding minor while Martinook was whistled for roughing. … A former Hurricane missed his homecoming, with Chicago C Marcus Kruger out with a left leg injury. … Carolina has scored power-play goals in four straight games.UP NEXTBlackhawks: Return home to face St. Louis on Wednesday night.Hurricanes: Continue their six-game homestand Saturday night against Columbus. RALEIGH, N.C. — Something good could be brewing for the Carolina Hurricanes even though it took time for it to materialize during a lengthy stretch of home games.“The bounces have started going our way a little bit,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.Carolina takes on the visiting Florida Panthers on Friday night at PNC Arena.Article continues below ...The Hurricanes are 3-1-1 with one game to go in a six-game homestand. The Hurricanes will go for their first three-game winning streak since the opening week-plus of the season.The Panthers didn’t enjoy quite the boost of momentum heading to the Thanksgiving holiday.Florida gave up a season-high number of goals in Wednesday night’s 7-3 loss at Tampa Bay. The Panthers are 2-3 with one game remaining on a six-game road swing.“We have to find a way,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said, shying away from excuses.Panthers left winger Mike Hoffman stretched his points streak to 17 games, but that was merely a highlight without much juice from the team perspective.“When we’re not on top of our game … you’ll have outcomes like that,” Hoffman said. Meanwhile, by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Wednesday night <a title="Custom St. Louis Blues Jerseys" href="www.officialblues.com St. Louis Blues Jerseys</a> , it was clearly a lift that might have an impact that extends beyond a single game for the Hurricanes.“We wanted to make a statement that we could play with any team,” said left winger Micheal Ferland, who leads Carolina with 11 goals.The Hurricanes outshot the Maple Leafs 29-11 in the first period, marking the most single-period shots on goal by Carolina in team history (since relocation to North Carolina more than 20 years ago). The Hurricanes’ 29 shots are also the most in a first period in the NHL since 1997-98.That shot load eventually paid off.“Everybody was on fire there,” right winger Andrei Svechnikov said. “… That’s why we won, because we shot everything on the net.”Carolina’s special teams have been scrutinized so far this season. There are reasons for encouragement in that area with its first power-play goal in a three-game stretch in the latest outing. Plus, the penalty-killing was spotless for the second game in a row.The Panthers liked some of their specials teams work in the Tampa Bay game. That might be something for them to build off.“We made some adjustments and we were good after that,” Boughner, a former Carolina player, said of one of the bright spots.Justin Williams scored his 100th career Hurricanes goal Wednesday, giving him goals in consecutive games. He became the ninth player in NHL history to score at least 100 goals and win the Stanley Cup with multiple franchises. Williams has 100 goals in 368 games with Carolina and recorded 103 goals in 427 games for the Los Angeles Kings.The other good news for the Hurricanes was having center Victor Rask in the lineup for the first time this season Wednesday night. He had been out since a preseason off-ice finger injury.“He didn’t play much, but the shifts he had were productive,” Brind’Amour said. “I think we’ll still probably ease him in a little bit. He’s probably right where he needs to be. There’s no real rush.”


 
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