Whaler
06-08-2006, 09:51 AM
RALEIGH, N.C./Hartford CT (June 7, 2006) Halfway home.
Already up one game in the Stanley Cup finals after a three-goal rally Monday night, the Carolina Whalercanes inched closer to their ultimate goal with a 5-0 victory at a frenzied RBC Center on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes were money on the power play - as they've been at home in the playoffs - scoring three times with the man advantage against new Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen, while the defense blocked 24 shots in front of a spotless Cam Ward.
It didn't matter on this night if Dwayne Roloson was in net or not for the Oilers, who came up empty offensively against Carolina's 22-year-old rookie to fall into a deep hole in the best-of-seven series.
"This is the best time of the season," said Ward. "It's a new beginning, a chance to start from scratch and I am just enjoying it."
Ward is now 13-5 in the 2006 playoffs after going just 14-8 in the regular season.
"This win was a reflection of the team," said Ward. "There were a lot of instances where we came up with blocks that would have been sure goals."
After starting the postseason with two home losses against Montreal, the Canes have rebounded to win nine of the last 10 at the RBC Center and now head to Canada with a commanding 2-0 lead.
"A huge reason why we ended up where we did in the standings was our play at home," said Matt Cullen, who assisted on all three power-play goals. "We've been a tough team at home and we've taken a lot of pride in that. When we lost two at home to Montreal that was tough to handle, but we're back on our game now. We love playing here."
Ward stopped 25 shots and was unflappable again in net, recording his second playoff shutout.
Mark Recchi, Doug Weight and Frank Kaberle were three of Carolina's five goalscorers in Wednesday's 5-0 rout of the Edmonton Oilers. In total, 10 players tallied points for the Hurricanes in the victory.
"I heard Cam talking about the horseshoe in the press conference, but he better not move too quickly because I don't want that horseshoe to fall out," said Aaron Ward, who along with Glen Wesley and Bret Hedican blocked four shots each.
The key goal in the game came late in the second period when Cory Stillman batted the puck around Markkanen a couple of times and was then able to sneak a backhander past him with 2.4 seconds left in the second period, giving Carolina a 3-0 lead.
"They always say the worst lead in hockey is a two-goal lead going into the third period," said Stillman. "To score with two seconds left probably had them thinking a little bit more. And it was sort of a broken play, too."
Stillman, who managed just two goals in 21 games when Tampa Bay won the Cup before the work stoppage, notched his eighth of the playoffs - second-best behind Rod Brind'Amour's team-leading 11.
"He just kind of flies under the radar … yet he contributes in the biggest games in the biggest ways," coach Peter Laviolette said of Stillman.
Two players the Hurricanes acquired before the trade deadline - Doug Weight and Mark Recchi - made sure there would be no repeat three-goal rally from the other side on this night, scoring power-play goals in the opening 4:12 of the final period to open up a five-goal lead.
Edmonton then got physical in the final 10 minutes, hoping for any kind of spark heading into Game 3 Saturday night. The Canes didn't seem bothered by any of the tactics displayed by the Oilers late.
"It's part of the game, it happens in every series," said Stillman. "I thought we responded well," Laviolette said. "We scored on the power play. We just have to keep our eye on the ball. We have to continue to go whistle to whistle."
The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead into the second period, but appeared to lose some momentum when they couldn't cash in on a two-man advantage over a span of 1:14.
But the final 10 minutes of the period belonged to Carolina - and Ward, who made spectacular save after save to stymie Edmonton. Meanwhile, the Carolina offense began to churn again as Frank Kaberle scored from the slot on the power play and Stillman on his backhander to send the Oilers into the locker room with their heads down.
Matt Cullen, right, notched three assists in Carolina's 5-0, Game 2 blowout of Edmonton. The Hurricanes will hit the road for Games 3 and 4, to be held Saturday and Monday at Rexall Place.
The first period was all Carolina as the Hurricanes accomplished one of its goals - getting to Markkanen early when Andrew Ladd scored on a 2-on-1 with Eric Staal, beating the goalie from Finland to the glove side.
Edmonton had its chances with three power plays, but managed just one harmless shot in the final seconds of the period as Carolina's penalty kill was outstanding. Ladd's goal came soon after the Hurricanes killed off a Craig Adams interference penalty, blocking five shots over the two-minute span to frustrate the Oilers.
"It was a momentum swing," said Aaron Ward. "You figure if they capitalize on that moment then we're back on our heels. Even as young as he is, Ladd realized we had already had two 2-on-1s and we hadn't gotten a shot off, so it was a very mature play on his part to get the puck to the net and give it a try."
"Night after night he's making a case to be one of the most effective forwards," Laviolette said of the rookie Ladd.
Carolina has a 5-3 road record in the playoffs, but doesn't expect an easy time in Edmonton despite the injured Roloson out for the series and the Oilers on the ropes.
"We have been relying on Cam way too much lately," Stillman said. "He's been standing on his head making saves for us, giving us a chance to win.
"You look at the past series and they were down 2-0 and came back and won. We know that as a team. It's important for us to go out there and get a jump in Game 3."
David Droschak is the former sports editor for the North Carolina bureaus of the Associated Press, the largest news-gathering organization in the world. In 2003, Droschak was named the North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year. The only writer in the Triangle to have covered the Carolina Hurricanes every season since the organization moved to North Carolina, he currently is a principal in the Raleigh-based public relations firm Hughes-Droschak Communications.
http://www.carolinahurricanes.com/
Already up one game in the Stanley Cup finals after a three-goal rally Monday night, the Carolina Whalercanes inched closer to their ultimate goal with a 5-0 victory at a frenzied RBC Center on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes were money on the power play - as they've been at home in the playoffs - scoring three times with the man advantage against new Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen, while the defense blocked 24 shots in front of a spotless Cam Ward.
It didn't matter on this night if Dwayne Roloson was in net or not for the Oilers, who came up empty offensively against Carolina's 22-year-old rookie to fall into a deep hole in the best-of-seven series.
"This is the best time of the season," said Ward. "It's a new beginning, a chance to start from scratch and I am just enjoying it."
Ward is now 13-5 in the 2006 playoffs after going just 14-8 in the regular season.
"This win was a reflection of the team," said Ward. "There were a lot of instances where we came up with blocks that would have been sure goals."
After starting the postseason with two home losses against Montreal, the Canes have rebounded to win nine of the last 10 at the RBC Center and now head to Canada with a commanding 2-0 lead.
"A huge reason why we ended up where we did in the standings was our play at home," said Matt Cullen, who assisted on all three power-play goals. "We've been a tough team at home and we've taken a lot of pride in that. When we lost two at home to Montreal that was tough to handle, but we're back on our game now. We love playing here."
Ward stopped 25 shots and was unflappable again in net, recording his second playoff shutout.
Mark Recchi, Doug Weight and Frank Kaberle were three of Carolina's five goalscorers in Wednesday's 5-0 rout of the Edmonton Oilers. In total, 10 players tallied points for the Hurricanes in the victory.
"I heard Cam talking about the horseshoe in the press conference, but he better not move too quickly because I don't want that horseshoe to fall out," said Aaron Ward, who along with Glen Wesley and Bret Hedican blocked four shots each.
The key goal in the game came late in the second period when Cory Stillman batted the puck around Markkanen a couple of times and was then able to sneak a backhander past him with 2.4 seconds left in the second period, giving Carolina a 3-0 lead.
"They always say the worst lead in hockey is a two-goal lead going into the third period," said Stillman. "To score with two seconds left probably had them thinking a little bit more. And it was sort of a broken play, too."
Stillman, who managed just two goals in 21 games when Tampa Bay won the Cup before the work stoppage, notched his eighth of the playoffs - second-best behind Rod Brind'Amour's team-leading 11.
"He just kind of flies under the radar … yet he contributes in the biggest games in the biggest ways," coach Peter Laviolette said of Stillman.
Two players the Hurricanes acquired before the trade deadline - Doug Weight and Mark Recchi - made sure there would be no repeat three-goal rally from the other side on this night, scoring power-play goals in the opening 4:12 of the final period to open up a five-goal lead.
Edmonton then got physical in the final 10 minutes, hoping for any kind of spark heading into Game 3 Saturday night. The Canes didn't seem bothered by any of the tactics displayed by the Oilers late.
"It's part of the game, it happens in every series," said Stillman. "I thought we responded well," Laviolette said. "We scored on the power play. We just have to keep our eye on the ball. We have to continue to go whistle to whistle."
The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead into the second period, but appeared to lose some momentum when they couldn't cash in on a two-man advantage over a span of 1:14.
But the final 10 minutes of the period belonged to Carolina - and Ward, who made spectacular save after save to stymie Edmonton. Meanwhile, the Carolina offense began to churn again as Frank Kaberle scored from the slot on the power play and Stillman on his backhander to send the Oilers into the locker room with their heads down.
Matt Cullen, right, notched three assists in Carolina's 5-0, Game 2 blowout of Edmonton. The Hurricanes will hit the road for Games 3 and 4, to be held Saturday and Monday at Rexall Place.
The first period was all Carolina as the Hurricanes accomplished one of its goals - getting to Markkanen early when Andrew Ladd scored on a 2-on-1 with Eric Staal, beating the goalie from Finland to the glove side.
Edmonton had its chances with three power plays, but managed just one harmless shot in the final seconds of the period as Carolina's penalty kill was outstanding. Ladd's goal came soon after the Hurricanes killed off a Craig Adams interference penalty, blocking five shots over the two-minute span to frustrate the Oilers.
"It was a momentum swing," said Aaron Ward. "You figure if they capitalize on that moment then we're back on our heels. Even as young as he is, Ladd realized we had already had two 2-on-1s and we hadn't gotten a shot off, so it was a very mature play on his part to get the puck to the net and give it a try."
"Night after night he's making a case to be one of the most effective forwards," Laviolette said of the rookie Ladd.
Carolina has a 5-3 road record in the playoffs, but doesn't expect an easy time in Edmonton despite the injured Roloson out for the series and the Oilers on the ropes.
"We have been relying on Cam way too much lately," Stillman said. "He's been standing on his head making saves for us, giving us a chance to win.
"You look at the past series and they were down 2-0 and came back and won. We know that as a team. It's important for us to go out there and get a jump in Game 3."
David Droschak is the former sports editor for the North Carolina bureaus of the Associated Press, the largest news-gathering organization in the world. In 2003, Droschak was named the North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year. The only writer in the Triangle to have covered the Carolina Hurricanes every season since the organization moved to North Carolina, he currently is a principal in the Raleigh-based public relations firm Hughes-Droschak Communications.
http://www.carolinahurricanes.com/