RALEIGH, N.C. -- Winless in shootouts
this season, the Carolina Hurricanes weren't optimistic when Friday's
game against the Anaheim Ducks was tied after 65 minutes.
But Chris Terry helped the Hurricanes
end their homestand successfully, scoring the game-winner in the
shootout to lift Carolina to a 3-2 victory over the Ducks.
With the win, Carolina improved to 3-10 in shootouts since the start of the 2011-12 season.
"Obviously, the confidence wasn't very
high going into shootouts," Carolina's Jordan Staal said. "There's a
fine line in those shootouts -- things can go right and wrong pretty
quickly. We're glad we got the upper hand tonight."
Eric Staal and Drayson Bowman scored for Carolina in regulation while Justin Peters made 28 saves.
Peters, who is filling in for the
injured Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin, helped Carolina conclude a 4-0-1
homestand by making 138 saves on 144 shots in the five games.
"I'm just really proud of the effort of
the guys," Carolina coach Kirk Muller. "We've had a couple injuries --
guys have jumped in different spots, different roles, starting with
Peters in net. He's had a great week, great homestand here."
Corey Perry had a goal and an assist for the Ducks while Dustin Penner also scored.
In his first game since being activated from injured reserve on Thursday, Viktor Fasth stopped 21 shots.
After a nine-game stretch in which they
went 8-0-1, the Ducks have lost three in a row. Anaheim entered Friday
leading the NHL with 31 points.
"I think we played pretty well
tonight," Anaheim's Teemu Selanne said. "The last two games, we haven't
been at the level where we should be, so we're going in the right
direction."
Perry and Carolina's Riley Nash had
scored earlier in the shootout, but Terry won it when he skated quickly
at Fasth and made a move before going to his backhand for the goal.
"It's a different kind of way to help the team, but nonetheless, we got the two points," Terry said.
Earlier in the third period, Penner
tied the score at 2 with a one-timer on the power play at 7:18. Penner's
stick broke on the play, but the puck managed to flutter into the net.
The Ducks entered the game ranked 28th on the power play, having scored eight goals. Only two of those had come on the road.
Carolina took a 2-1 lead 3:01 into the
third period when Bowman collected the puck off the boards and charged
the net, shoveling the puck past Fasth after he skated along the goal
line.
After the first 35 minutes had few
scoring chances, Anaheim and Carolina both struck in the final five
minutes of the second period.
The Ducks opened the scoring when
Carolina's Justin Faulk made an ill-advised pass through the middle of
the ice from deep in his own zone. Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf intercepted
the puck and passed it to Perry, who snapped it past from Peters from
close range at 18:00 of the second.
Perry entered the night tied for sixth in the NHL with 11 goals.
Carolina answered 1:43 later with a
power-play goal. Semin skated across the blue line and created space by
cutting across the middle of the zone. After delaying for an extra
second, Semin sent a wrist shot that deflected off Staal and beat a
screened Fasth high on the glove side.
"We knew he fakes and fakes and fakes
and fakes," said Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau, who coached Semin in
Washington. "I think our young penalty killers bit too easily on him
there. They hadn't seen him play before."
NOTES:
Getzlaf returned to the Ducks' lineup after missing three games with an
upper-body injury. ... After its five-game homestand, Carolina will
play three of its next four on the road, beginning Saturday night in St.
Louis.
