Pittsburgh Penguins edge past Carolina Hurricanes 3-2
Pascal Dupuis scored the game-winning goal to carry the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at CONSOL Energy Centre on Saturday night.
Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey also tallied goals for Pittsburgh, who have won four of their previous five contests. Marc-Andre Fleury was solid, turning aside 24 shots in his side’s win.
Sergei Samsonov and Eric Staal both lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who have lost four of six play-offs. Ward made 28 saves in the loss.
Carolina head coach Paul Maurice lamented his team’s poor finishing after the game. He said, "We didn't get enough (pucks) to the net and I thought we missed the net on some of our better opportunities,"
The Hurricanes got a chance to open the scoring with five minutes left in the middle stanza. Erik Cole let go a shot from the right circle and the officials initially ruled that it was a goal, but a review showed that the puck hit the crossbar after deflecting
off the end of Fleury's stick.
It was the Penguins who opened the scoring for a 1-0 lead, during a 4-on-4 situation after 37 minutes of goalless hockey. The goal came from Dustin Jeffrey, who snapped a shot from the right point that made its way through the scramble in front and behind
Cam Ward. It was his second goal in six contests in the 2010-11 season and third in 20 career games.
"When those guys are out of the line-up, it becomes more of a scoring by committee," said Jeffrey "I think all of our forwards have to step up. We didn't do a very good job [in a 2-0 loss Thursday] in Jersey. As a group, we played a lot better tonight."
Letestu then doubled the Penguins advantage on a power-play in the third minute of the final period. The play was set up by Chris Kunitz, who controlled the puck in Carolina’s zone and gave a pretty pass to Letestu. On the rush, Letestu banged a wrist shot
from the slot that beat Ward.
Dupuis pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-0 in the eighth minute of the final session. Jordan Staal snatched the puck from a Carolina defender and slipped a nice pass to Dupuis, who tipped a backhander into the net for his 10th goal of the season, and second
when Pittsburgh was short-handed.
The Hurricanes had some scoring opportunities of their own but could not capitalise, as Fleury denied Eric Staal two goals. The Hurricanes showed some life in the final minutes, as they scored twice to get themselves back into the game.
Samsonov got Carolina on the board to cut the deficit to 3-1 with four and a half minutes left in the third stanza, spoiling Fleury’s second shutout bid of the season. It was his first goal in ten play-offs and the ninth of the 2010-11 season.
Staal then pulled the Hurricanes to within another goal by making it a 3-2 game with one minute remaining in the final period. During a power-play, Joe Corvo ripped a shot to the net that was blocked by Ward. Staal gathered the rebound and pumped it in.
"It was a little frustrating when it's 3-0 and then such a short time later it's 3-2," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "It happened so quickly, but we held on at the end and held them off."
The Hurricanes pulled Ward again after the goal for an extra skater, but could not tie the game. Six of Carolina’s 26 shots were registered over the last five minutes.
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