Hurricanes ward off Maple Leafs in overtime

Last Updated: Friday, February 1, 2008 | 12:49 AM ET

CBC Sports

Rod Brind'Amour's power-play goal 3:20 into overtime lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the RBC Center on Thursday night.

Carolina has taken three of four meetings with Toronto this season.

Cam Ward foils Matt Stajan (14) in Thursday's 3-2 Hurricanes triumph.
(Karl DeBlaker/Associated Press)

"I don't care how we get our two points," Brind'Amour said.
  
Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin tied it 2-2 with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, redirecting the puck between Cam Ward's pads with his left skate.

Video review confirmed that Sundin didn't use a kicking motion to direct it, giving him 22 goals on the season and sending it to overtime.

But Nik Antropov was whistled for hooking Cory Stillman, and the penalty proved costly as Brind'Amour converted Ray Whitney's centring pass for the decisive goal.

"We got a lucky break that we got a power play," Brind'Amour said.

Tim Gleason and Scott Walker had a goal and an assist apiece for the Hurricanes (26-24-4), winners in four of their last five games. 

Whitney chipped in with two assists.

"We stuck to our system and battled back," Walker said.

Rookie Jiri Tlusty replied in a losing cause as the Maple Leafs (20-24-9) suffered their third straight setback and fourth in five games.

Toronto fell to 1-2-1 since firing general manager John Ferguson Jr. last Tuesday and replacing him with Cliff Fletcher on an interim basis.

Toronto opened the scoring 3:20 into the contest as Sundin sent the puck into the slot for Tlusty, who blasted it by Ward for his fourth goal of the season.

Gleason was credited with the tying goal 13:19 into the second period, even though replays showed that Brind'Amour tipped the puck past Maple Leafs netminder Vesa Toskala.

Carolina took the lead at 2-1 on Walker's shoulder-high deflection of Gleason's rising slapshot from the point at 3:29 of the third period.

"I was going to catch the puck, but he tipped it in," Toskala said. "If it was a high stick or not, I cannot tell that."

The Maple Leafs had two glorious chances to even proceedings late in regulation, if not win outright, but Sundin shot wide of an open net and Jason Blake was foiled as he tried to stuff the puck between Ward's left pad and the goalpost.

"Blake's puck was in the net … and it was a lousy call, but that is my judgment," Maple Leafs head coach Paul Maurice said. "That is the way I feel.

"That is the way our hockey players feel. That is what the camera looked like to me."

Sundin's game-tying goal was his 1,300th NHL point.