WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Gerber, Stillman Lead Hurricanes Over Capitals

Oct 24, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Martin Gerber stopped all 17 shots he faced, as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals, 4-0, at the MCI Center.

Gerber was playing in place of starting goaltender Cam Ward, who left in the first period with an injury after facing only one shot.

Ray Whitney had a goal and an assist in his Carolina debut. Whitney was on injured reserve for the first six games of the season with a groin injury. Cory Stillman and Rod Brind'Amour each chipped in a goal in the Carolina victory.

The Hurricanes have now won three of their last four games.

Olaf Kolzig was in a shooting gallery all night as he faced 41 shots, stopping 37 of them. Rookie Alexander Ovechkin saw his eight-game point streak snapped in the loss. On the season, he has six goals and four assists.

With the loss, Washington has now lost four of its last five games.

Carolina finished 3-of-12 on the power play as Washington played undisciplined all night.

Carolina opened the scoring when Stillman scored his third goal of the season on the power play 7:47 into the second period. The goal was scored on a nifty give and go down low with Erik Cole finding Stillman open in front. Stillman would stuff the puck past Kolzig for the lead.

Carolina would take a 2-0 lead on flukey goal by Matt Cullen at the 18:16 mark of the second period. Cullen skated hard into the zone and attempted a backhand pass into the slot. However, the puck deflected off Washington defenseman Brendan Witt and into his own net.

The goal was Cullen's third of the season.

Carolina wasn't finished late in the second as they went up 3-0 on a Brind'Amour power play goal. Brind'Amour took a centering feed in the slot from Whitney and snapped the puck high glove side past Kolzig with 22 seconds left in the period.

Whitney would score his first goal of the season on the power play 3:17 into the third period after he found the back of the net from the slot off a centering feed from Cole.

Game Notes:

The game was delayed 13 minutes in the first period as a piece of glass needed to be replaced...Washington has allowed at least 30 shots in all of their games this season...Referee Wes McCauley was hit in the face with a puck and needed to be helped off the ice in the game's final minutes...Brind'Amour scored his fifth goal of the season...Eric Staal picked up his seventh assist of the year on Brind'Amour's goal.