The Carolina Hurricanes hosted their second “Canes College Night” of the season Thursday against the rival Buffalo Sabres, with 18,081 in attendance at PNC Arena.
After offseason additions of two top-tier players, center Jordan Staal and winger Alexander Semin, the team wasn’t worried about scoring goals. But against its first two games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, both divisional opponents, the team was outscored 9-2.
Neither goals were scored by Jordan Staal or Semin.
Thursday night, in its second home game of the season, the team came to life.
Led by center and team captain Eric Staal and center Jeff Skinner’s combined five goals, the Canes defeated the Sabres, 6-3. The newly acquired Jordan Staal had three helpers on the night, tying him for the team leader in points.
“Good teams find a way to re-focus, and we did that tonight,” Eric Staal said.
Former Conn Smyth trophy winner, goaltender Cam Ward, allowed three goals on 30 shots, a solid performance after two shaky games.
“We challenged the guys yesterday, starting with Cam,” head coach Kirk Muller said. “The guys played really well in front of him tonight. Big boys come up with big games.”
Through the first 20-minutes of play the game remained scoreless, but scrappy. Both squads delivered crushing hits resulting in minor scrums, but no gloves were dropped.
In the first period there were a combined five penalties, the same total through the final two periods.
Special teams, which have been a problem for the Canes in the first two games, vastly improved against Buffalo. The team killed off the Sabres power play units six times and scored one of its six goals shorthanded.
Defenseman Justin Faulk scored his first goal of the season in the second period on an odd man rush, blasting a shot past Buffalo goaltender Jhonas Enroth.
Faulk said his stick broke on the shot but was happy the puck found the back of the net. The goal was Faulk’s first of the season.
The second period was a complete polar opposite of the first. The second 20-minute session saw a total of six goals scored, four by the Hurricanes. The Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the period but gave up the lead minutes later. By the end of the period the Canes would reclaim the lead by two goals, 4-2.
Skinner scored two in the second, the first, top shelf off of his backhand. His second was a nifty wrap around goal. Skinner grabbed the puck behind the net, skated to Enroth’s left side, and sneaked the puck in between his left pad and the post, again on the backhand.
“I guess I should keep shooting with it if it goes in, but maybe I’ll try to get one on my forehand, too,” Skinner said.
After the ensuing face-off, Eric Staal took control of the puck, charged towards Enroth and slipped the puck in the five-hole only nine seconds after Skinners second goal. The goal was Eric Staal’s first of the game and the season.
Eric Staal added two more goals in the third period for the Hat Trick.
The first was assisted on a quick cross-ice pass from defenseman Joni Pitkanen. Eric Staal received the pass in between the two face-off circles and ripped the puck over Enroth’s shoulder. His second was an open net goal, sealing the Hat Trick.
“It’s taken a couple of games to get our legs and play the style that we want, but it looked like tonight we’re finally getting to be able to play that tempo,” Muller said. “The guys stayed to the program, which we were preaching tonight.”
The Canes will face-off against Buffalo tonight to complete a home-and-home series against the Sabres. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.