In many ways, the Carolina Hurricanes had a fitting end to their 2011-12 home schedule with a 2-1 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first shootout victory in seven tries for the Canes this season. Cam Ward stopped all three shooters and added 30 more saves in regulation and overtime to record his 30th victory of the season and first-star honors. Eric Staal scored the deciding shootout goal. “It was a great crowd. Our fans are great. Our fans support us regardless,” Staal said. “They stuck with us, and things got better in the second half.”
Ward’s 30th victory marks the fifth time the goaltender has reached that marker in his seven-year career. (He was the back-up and injured the other two seasons.) Ward made two phenomenal saves in the second period to keep the game tied 1-1. The first was a diving blocker save on David Desharnais. The second was a shorthanded sprawling pad save on Tomas Plekanec. “It only seemed fitting to go into the shootout and give ourselves a chance to finally win one,” he said. “I think everybody in here is still disappointed that we’re not making the playoffs, but it is important that you finish the season strong.”
Fitting was a word thrown around a lot in the locker room after the game. Head coach Kirk Muller used it to describe Staal scoring the lone goal in the shootout to finally give the Canes a victory in that department. “I knew that’d be the first question,” Muller said about the shootout. “Everyone asks me about using Staalsy, and I just thought it was fitting with the way he played the second half, it was great to see him be the final shooter and score the final goal.”
To get to the shootout, the Hurricanes had to work their way through some man-disadvantages, including a 5-on-3 and 4-on-3. As sticks went between legs, tripping was the call-du-jour, but as was the case all night, the Canes stood tall. Montreal went 0-for-6 on the power play, perhaps proving to be the difference; the Canes’ lone goal in regulation came on the power play, as Chad LaRose stuffed in loose puck in the crease for his 19th goal of the season, tying a career-high.
Though the Hurricanes will not be in the playoffs this year, tonight – really, since the start of this calendar year – provides hope heading into next season. “As players and fans, you want to be in the playoffs,” Staal said. “I like to think we’re going in the right direction as a group.
The Canes will wrap up the 2011-12 campaign on Saturday in Florida. Though they won’t be able to knock the Panthers out of postseason contention (They qualified tonight by way of Buffalo losing.), they might have an opportunity to knock them down to 8th place, pending what Washington does against New York that same night. In any case, they’re still playing for pride and a three-game winning streak heading into the summer. “You want to keep heading in that direction,” Ward said. “You don’t want to take your foot off the gas just because you aren’t making the playoffs.”