Carolina Hurricanes beat the Anaheim Ducks In Shootout
By Brett Finger
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in shootout on Friday night. The Anaheim Ducks came in as the top team in the NHL, but they have now lost three straight games. The Canes finish a season long 5 game home stand with a 4-0-1 record.
Scoring Summary
The scoring started in the second period with Corey Perry making it 1-0 Ducks. Justin Faulk attempted to make a break out pass from his own end, but Ryan Getzlaf picked off the pass. He then set up Corey Perry, who was all alone in front of Justin Peters, and he put it past the Canes goaltender. Getzlaf had the only assist.
The Carolina Hurricanes answered back on a powerplay late in the second period to tie the game at one. Alex Semin walked it into the zone, he faked the shot ,which fooled the Anaheim Ducks defense, then he sniped it past Viktor Fasth. Tuomo Ruutu and Eric Staal both did a good job screening Fasth on the goal. Ryan Murphy picked up the lone assist.
UPDATE: Eric Staal has been officially awarded the goal. It deflected off his body and in as he screened Viktor Fasth. Assists go to Alex Semin and Ryan Murphy.
Drayson Bowman makes it 2-1 in favor of the Carolina Hurricanes early in period three. He carried the puck up the right side, blew past former Cane Bryan Allen, and he finished at the net and beat Viktor Fasth. Andrej Sekera picked up the assist.
The Ducks would strike back on the powerplay at 7:18 of the third period as Dustin Penner scores on a one-timer past Peters. Dustin Penner was left open to the left of Peters, and Corey Perry set him up with a solid pass. Penner broke his stick on the shot, but he still puts it by a Justin Peters. Corey Perry and Cam Fowler got the assists on the powerplay goal.
After a scoreless over time, the game went to a shootout.
ROUND ONE- Teemu Selanne does not score. Riley Nash shot he puck off the post. It then bounced off the back of Victor Fasth and in. The Canes lead 1-0 after the first round.
ROUND TWO- Corey Perry scores on Justin Peters. Alex Semin’s backhand is saved by Victor Fasth. The score was 1-1 following round 2 of the shootout.
ROUND THREE- Ryan Getzlaf shoots the puck off the outside of the post and doesn’t score. Chris Terry makes a nifty move on Fasth and puts a backhander past Fasth. The Carolina Hurricanes won the shootout 2-1.
Those were the scoring plays from the game. The Carolina Hurricanes win 3-2.
Game Recap
The defense remains to be the best part of the Carolina Hurricanes game. The Hurricanes were able to limit opportunities from the Ducks. Justin Peters also continues to play very well. He has been very reliable for the Hurricanes, and that should be extremely encouraging for the Carolina Hurricanes. It now appears they have three NHL goalies.
Drayson Bowman played his best game as a Carolina Hurricane, in my opinion. He led the team in shots with 6, and he skated a season-high 14:23, including time with Eric Staal and Alex Semin. He also scored a big goal early in the third period. Hopefully Bowman can build off this game and be the type of player he was in juniors in the future.
Justin Faulk, on the other hand, had a pretty shaky night. He gave up the puck in the second period, which led to Perry’s goal. He also looked rattled in his own end, and at times in the offensive zone. He also took a bad tripping penalty, which led to Penner’s goal. He struggled tonight, but it is good to see that the Hurricanes can still get big wins, even when their best defenseman has an off game.
The offense is still not terrific. They had 19 shots through regulation, which is a season low. As long as the defense continues to be outstanding, the Canes don’t have to score four goals every night, but it would be nice to see it every now and then.
The Carolina Hurricanes finish a 5 game home stand at 4-0-1. That is a terrific record for the Canes. This should do great things for the team’s confidence, which in turn should lead to more good things from this team.
Game By The Numbers
Justin Faulk led all Carolina Hurricanes skaters in time on ice with 24:48.
Cam Fowler played 26:38 tonight. He led all skaters in ice time.
Eric Staal won 17 of 27 faceoffs (63%). He has improved in the faceoff circle, and Kirk Muller has shown confidence in him taking big faceoffs. The addition of Manny Malhotra certainly has helped Staal. Malhotra won 6 of 10 faceoffs (60%).
The Carolina Hurricanes pick up a big win against the league’s best team, the Anaheim Ducks. It does not get easier though. The Canes will play the St. Louis Blues in St. Louis tomorrow night. The Blues are hot and rested, so the Canes will have to bring their A-game tomorrow night.
Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in the shootout.