Eddie Lack gets his first shutout of the season in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 1-0 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
No Scoring
2nd Period
No Scoring
3rd Period
No Scoring
Over Time
CAR Goal (2:54) – Jordan Staal (11), assisted by Justin Faulk (19), Brett Pesce (9)
Jordan Staal entered the zone along the right-hand boards, and from the top of the circle dished it off to Justin Faulk in the slot. Reimer stopped Faulk’s initial shot, but Jordan was able to regain the puck and score the game winning goal.
Summary
The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a much-needed two points on the road in Toronto. This was a big game for the standings and for the many Canes players who were raised around the Toronto area. Most of them had family in attendance, with Phil Di Giuseppe leading the way with just shy of 40 members in the building.
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Going into this game, most fans like me, were nervous with Cam Ward being placed on IR with a concussion earlier this week. The last game Lack started he let in five goals to the Penguins. Tonight though, Eddie stopped all 32 shots he faced to earn the shut out.
If Lack can continue to play as well as he did tonight he will prove to be a capable fill in for Ward during his time off. He had a series of impressive stops, including a short-handed breakaway save in the second period on Michael Grabner.
Carolina Hurricanes
It’s very fitting that Jordan Stall scored the game winning goal because he was the hardest working player on the ice. There were multiple times where he easily skated around the Leafs’ defense, and used his size to gain position and create chances. Jordan has really come on strong this season, and he is definitely playing like the player that the Hurricanes traded for.
It was really good seeing Jordan get rewarded for his hard work in getting the game winning goal. He has proven to come through in clutch moments for the Hurricanes, including two overtime goals prior to Thursday. His hard work is surely starting to pay off.
This game puts the Carolina Hurricanes within striking distance of a playoff spot. After this win the Hurricanes pulled within three points of a wild card berth, and are tied with Ottawa and Montreal in points. Montreal and Ottawa both have a game-in-hand, and technically have the primary tiebreaker.
Next: Canes Remain in the Playoff Hunt Despite Up and Down Week
The Canes play the Rangers on Friday in Raleigh and will look to win back-to-back games. The Rangers are coming off of a win against the Canucks, but have had a rough go of it lately. The east is very bunched up, with six teams with within three points of each other. The season is far from over for Carolina.