Ward carries Canes over Lightning in shootout

BY JOE JOHNSON

RALEIGH -- Cam Ward did a little bit of everything Tuesday night in the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the RBC Center.

The 24-year old goaltender stopped 29 of 30 shots through overtime, then kept Tampa Bay off the board in the shootout.

But Ward's biggest contribution went unnoticed by him -- he picked up an assist on the Hurricanes' first goal of the game. Jussi Jokinen scored it, but the play started with Ward clearing the puck up the ice to Joni Pitkanen, who fed Jokinen up the middle for the score.

"We needed something positive to happen," Ward said. "I don't know how it happened."

The victory was not secured until Sergei Samsonov and Tuomo Ruutu each scored in the shootout. Samsonov tallied first when he beat a sprawling Mike Smith, who tried to poke check the puck from the incoming Samsonov. Ruutu sealed it with a low wrist shot on which Smith was slow to react.

Ward stopped shots from Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier in the shootout. But he needed some help from the post on Lecavalier's attempt to keep the puck out of the net.

The victory, the first for Carolina after a pair of disappointing losses to Philadelphia and Boston, was badly needed and the Hurricanes knew it. Carolina, which picked up its first points in the standings, avoided an 0-3 start, which last occurred during the 1997-98 season.

"It's points that count in this league," Jokinen said.

Carolina was better in just about every aspect of the game compared with its first two losses.

The Hurricanes scored first on the power play. The Hurricanes entered the game having converted only one of their first 18 chance with the man advantage. On the penalty kill, Carolina also was much better, though Coach Paul Maurice said his team allowed Tampa Bay too many chances.

The Lightning scored their only goal when they had a 5-on-3 advantage after a pair of Carolina penalties. Ryan Malone knocked the puck out of midair and by Ward, who was in scramble mode in the crease.

"The PK was 10 times better than it was in the first two games," Ward said. "They got one, but it was kind of a fluky [goal] with him hitting it like a baseball."

Carolina played its first full game without right wing Erik Cole, who is going to miss the next several weeks with a broken left leg.

Pitkanen played in his first game after coming back from minor knee surgery but only lasted two periods. Maurice said Pitkanen did not suffer further injury but was held out after his knee stiffened up during the second period while the Hurricanes were killing so many penalties.

"We got to test all parts of our game," Maurice said. "We had to kill too many penalties, though. We rebounded from the losses and got some good goaltending and good penalty killing, and we should be happy with that."

Carolina killed off seven of the eight power plays it faced.

"We had our chances," Tampa coach Rick Tocchet said. "It's a little mental right now."

The Hurricanes return to action on Friday against another Southeastern Division foe, as the Florida Panthers visit the RBC Center (7 p.m., Fox Sports South).