GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Cam Ward finally won in a shootout.
The Carolina goalie didn't allow a puck into the net in the shootout in the Hurricanes' 2-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.
The Coyotes helped out. Two of them lost control of the puck and they twice hit the left post. But Ward will take the win however he can get it. He was 0-4 in shootouts this season before Thursday night.
"We were pretty stingy defensively and limited their opportunities, so it's nice to get rewarded in the shootout," Ward said. "It's no secret that we've had some difficulties in the shootout, especially with myself, so it feels good to get a win."
Ward admitted he was fooled on the first attempt, a strong move by the Coyotes' young Lucas Lessio, who lost control before he could finish.
"I definitely got undressed in that first one, but I'd like to think that I scared him away," Ward said. "I took a deep breath and tried to blow it away, but it was about time we got lucky."
Eric Lindholm scored the only goal of the shootout, which came at the end of a defense-dominated game.
Carolina's Victor Rask and Arizona's David Moss scored early, then the teams went scoreless through the rest of regulation and overtime.
Mike Smith had 39 saves for Arizona, including a sprawling block with his toe of Justin Faulk's shot in overtime. Ward had 28 saves for the Hurricanes.
Smith's big game salvaged a performance that Coyotes coach Dave Tippett called "sloppy -- so sloppy it was almost entertaining."
Rask was credited with a goal for Carolina just 1:03 into the game. It initially was credited to Ron Hainsey, but officials later determined the puck had hit Rask on the way to the net. Smith said it was Rask's deflection that prevented him from stopping the puck.
Moss scored his first goal of the season 6:38 into the first period.
The Coyotes played their first game since a season-high six-game road trip. Arizona was 3-1-1 in the final five games of the trip.
"After a long road trip, it seemed like the guys didn't have as much jump tonight," Moss said. "Maybe it's human nature to think things are going to be a little bit easier (at home) but they're really not. Smitty (Smith) played a heck of a game to get us a point."
Carolina is 4-1-2 in their last seven games.
"I liked us. I didn't love us," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said of Monday's effort. "We haven't played at the same pace coming out of the All-Star break as we did going into the beak. We need our team speed, gap speed, and puck speed back to where we want it."
Carolina's goal came when, with the game barely underway, Hainsey shot from the left circle, glancing off of Rask and past Smith.
The Coyotes tied it on a slick pass to the front of the net by Keith Yandle to Moss, whose shot lifted a foot or more into the air and sailed past Ward to make it 1-1 6:38 into the game.
It was Yandle's 11th assist in the last 10 games. He has a five-game assist streak, longest for any of the Coyotes this season.
Arizona killed four penalties, including a four-minute double minor that was levied against Lauri Korpikoski for high-sticking. The Hurricanes were not called for a penalty.
In the defense-dominated game, Carolina had eight shots in the first period and Arizona seven shots in the second.
After outshooting their opponents 170-149 in the last five games, Arizona was outshot by Carolina 40-29.
NOTES: Coyotes President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said Thursday that the team is bidding to host the 2018 world junior hockey championships and plans to join Arizona State to bid to host the Frozen Four collegiate hockey championship. ... Ward did not skate with the team the last two days because of a lower-body issue. ... Carolina had won its previous three games in Arizona.
