WRAL Sports Fan

Hurricanes

Canucks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3

Feb 4, 2009

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Alex Burrows scored on a short-handed breakaway with 1:22 left and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Tuesday night.

After giving up two goals on Carolina's first three power-play chances, the Canucks' penalty killers finally delivered late. Ryan Kesler beat Joni Pitkanen to a loose puck and chipped it up to Burrows, who skated in alone from the blue line and roofed a backhand deke past the outstretched blocker of goalie Cam Ward.

Kesler had a goal and two assists, and Mats Sundin and Kevin Bieksa also scored as the Canucks ended a nine-game home skid (0-6-3). They also moved back into seventh place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Minnesota, Edmonton, Columbus and Phoenix.

Roberto Luongo made 24 saves for his first win in six games after missing almost two months with a groin injury. And Pavol Demitra, back after missing three games with a groin injury, added two assists while playing on a new line with Kesler and Sundin that combined for seven points.

Defensemen Joe Corvo and Joni Pitkanen scored 25 seconds apart midway through the second period to tie it, and Eric Staal tied it again 33 seconds into the third. But Carolina still lost for the second time in six games, falling one point behind Florida for eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Ward made 20 saves in his 17th straight start for the Hurricanes.

After Luongo made point-blank stops on Ray Whitney and Justin Williams in tight in the opening minute, Bieksa opened the scoring on the power play at 2:08 with a point shot that hit the glove of a screened Ward and trickled into the net.

It was just the second power-play goal surrendered by Carolina in 19 chances.

Kesler, who ended an 11-game goal drought with two his last game, doubled the lead with a sharp-angle shot that beat Ward on the short side 10 minutes later.

Corvo, on a power play one-timer with Luongo trying to find his dropped stick, got Carolina back into the game. Pitkanen blew a shot from the same spot atop the right faceoff circle through Luongo's legs to tie it the next shift, as the Canucks blew a two-goal lead for the third time in the last five games.

Sundin, criticized for having three points and a minus-6 rating in his first nine games after signing Dec. 18 for $5.626 million for the rest of the season, restored the lead on a wraparound with 4:50 left in the second period.

But the Canucks' penalty killing let them down again 33 seconds into the third.

Corvo sent a cross-ice pass to Whitney alone atop the left faceoff circle -- the exact same spot the first two goals were scored from -- and Whitney fed it back across to Staal alone on the backdoor for an easy one-timer.

It was the second power-play goal on three chances for the Hurricanes, and the 11th surrendered in the last 25 chances over six games for the Canucks.

Game notes
Luongo was 0-2-3 with a .875 save percentage and 3.70 goals-against average in his first five games back from a Nov. 22 groin injury. ... Carolina hasn't won a game in Vancouver since Oct. 15, 1999, losing five straight since the victory.