Hurricanes-Rangers: Hurricane Warning in Effect

It took seven powerplay attempts, but with the seventh, Rod Brind' Amour lit the lamp to give the Hurricanes a healthy lead and eventually, win the game.

The Hurricanes and Rangers played in one of the more physical games of the year for both of these two teams, since they both had a lot on the line. The Hurricanes took the win 3-0.

Goaltender Cam Ward blocked 28 shots, and earned his fifth shutout of the season.

With the Hurricanes victory, they boost from ninth to being tied for fifth. The Rangers loss takes them from sixth leaving them tied for eighth.

The Rangers' Stephen Valiquette took goal tonight and looked very good. Without the offensive help, he was held back and took tonight's loss.

This was an extremely defensive game.

The Canes went one for seven on the powerplay, as the Rangers went 0 for four. There were many blocked shots, many dives on the ice, and poke checks.

In the end, the Hurricanes wanted it more, increasing their winning streak to eight of their last 10 games. They are riding a four-game winning streak.

The Hurricanes have also won their past five games at home by a combined score of 20-5. 

Ward has allowed 21 goals in the past ten games. Since March, he has literally been on fire. But along with Ward, the Hurricanes offense has been hard to stop in March. In the four games played, they have scored 23 goals, roughly 4.25 goals per game.

The Hurricanes hit the road for a three game road trip. 

Wednesday night they face the Chicago Blackhawks, who are currently fourth in the Western Conference. They also will hit the road to face Dallas and Inter-Division rivals, the Washington Capitals.

It is safe to say that if Carolina can win their next three games, not only could they be a threat into the playoffs, but they could be a threat to take the Southeast Division.

Scoring Summary:

First Period:

None

Second Period:

CAR: 9:01 Joe Corvo (13) Assists: Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen

Third Period:

CAR: 3:41 Rod Brind'Amour [PP](10) Assists: Ray Whitney, Sergei Samsonov

CAR: 19:35 Tuomo Ruutu [EN](20) Assists: Erik Cole, Anton Babchuk

THREE STARS:

First Star: Cam Ward - 28 saves, shutout, four straight wins

Second Star: Ray Whitney - Two Assists

Third Star: Joe Corvo - Game Winning Goal