Eric Staal Leads The Carolina Hurricanes To A 4-1 Win Over The Ottawa Senators
By Brett Finger
Following a 3-2 overtime loss in Boston on Saturday afternoon, the Carolina Hurricanes took on the Ottawa Senators in Raleigh 25 hours after the game ended. The PNC Arena was in for a show as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1.
Scoring Summary
The scoring started early in the first period for the Ottawa Senators. Jason Spezza puts in a rebound following a marvelous save by Cam Ward. Spezza was left uncovered out front, which made it an easy rebound goal for the Sens captain. The goal came at 1:07 of the 1st period. Mika Zibanejad got the lone assist on Spezza’s 10th of the year.
The Carolina Hurricanes strike back at 3:10 of the second period as Patrick Dwyer scores his second goal in as many games to tie the game at one. Jordan Staal wins a battle in the corner with Jared Cowen. Staal feeds Dwyer to the right of the slot, and Dwyer rips it off the post and in. The assists go to Jordan Staal and Justin Faulk.
The Carolina Hurricanes continue the hot play, and at 6:09 of the second period, Tuomo Ruutu scores to make it 2-1. Eric Staal had the puck along the half wall, and he set up Ruutu beautifully with a tape-to-tape saucer pass. Ruutu then put it past Robin Lehner. The assist went to Eric Staal.
The Carolina Hurricanes strike on the powerplay at 9:03 of the second period. Eric Staal shows great strength as he carries it in the zone and behind Lehner. He then passes it off to Elias Lindholm who walks in on Lehner from his right, and he snipes it top shelf on him. It was a beautiful goal, and it made it 3-1. Eric Staal and Justin Faulk get the assists.
The captain puts it away with an empty net goal with 2:23 left in the 3rd period. Eric Staal scored off a very good play by Manny Malhotra as he picks off a pass and sets up Staal down ice. Manny Malhotra gets the assist on the goal
Game Recap
Following a slow opening 10 minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes, they played a great 30 minutes of hockey from the 10 minute mark of period one to the end of period twp. The Hurricanes continued to play strong, and they secured a win in the third period.
Cam Ward had another magnificent game for the Carolina Hurricanes. He absolutely shut down the Ottawa Senators. He has played two fantastic games in the span of about 30 hours. He has played his best hockey of the season, and that is great for the Carolina Hurricanes. Ward made 35 saves on 36 shots.
Eric Staal and Tuomo Ruutu played their best games of the year so far. They constantly provided offensive pressure. Stall put up one goal and two assists, and Tuomo Ruutu scored what turned out to be the game winning goal. Eric Staal played very excellent, and that is a huge thing for the Carolina Hurricanes. Ruutu got to the front of the net all night, and if he can continue to do that, he will be a very valuable player once again for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Elias Lindholm really brings life to the Carolina Hurricanes powerplay. Lindholm scored on the powerplay on a beautiful move and shot. He has elite talent, and he can really move the puck. The future is bright for Elias Lindholm and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Justin Faulk played a great game on offense. He moved the puck very well, and that led to his 2 assists. This was probably his best offensive game of the season. Hopefully that can continue. If it does, that will elevate him to one of the elite defensemen in the NHL.
This was a great game for the Carolina Hurricanes. They didn’t let a slow start faze them, and this was one of the best efforts from the Carolina Hurricanes this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes have now gotten points in two consecutive games, and they will hope to extend that streak as they play in New Jersey on Wednesday night. They will play New Jersey again on Friday night in Raleigh. The Devils have been playing well lately, so the Carolina Hurricanes will have to work hard to in order to pick up some important wins against the New Jersey Devils.