Hurricanes break 14-game skid
Jokinen opens scoring, seals victory with shootout goal
Last Updated: Sunday, November 15, 2009 | 8:13 PM ET
CBC Sports
Hurricanes goalie Michael Leighton, left, dives on the puck in front of teammate Tim Gleason. (Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press)The Carolina Hurricanes managed to finally end a 14-game winless streak with a 5-4 win against the Minnesota Wild Sunday afternoon at RBC Center.
Jussi Jokinen, who scored the game's opening goal, got the winner in the shootout for the Hurricanes (3-12-4), who recorded their first victory since Oct. 9.
"It's one of the best feelings," Jokinen said. "We'll take the two points."
Carolina's second shooter in the shootout, Jokinen went to his backhand and lofted the puck above the glove of Niklas Backstrom. It was Jokinen's 25th career shootout goal, the most in NHL history. He also has eight game-winners in the format.
When Michael Leighton stopped Marek Zidlicky on the Wild's final chance, the Hurricanes had their first win since Oct. 9.
Carolina's winless streak (0-10-4) tied the franchise mark set by the 1991-1992 Hartford Whalers. It was the worst losing stretch by a team in the post-lockout era.
Leighton made 28 saves in his second start of the season and Ray Whitney, Jokinen, Joe Corvo and Brandon Sutter scored in regulation for Carolina, which blew two three-goal leads.
"We're not throwing any back at this point," Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said. "We'll take it."
It was a costly victory for the Hurricanes. Three Carolina players left with injuries and did not return — defenceman Joni Pitkanen (lower body), forward Scott Walker (upper body) and forward Stephane Yelle (lower body).
Minnesota has never won in Carolina and is 2-10-1 on the road this season. Up 4-1 in the second, the Hurricanes could not maintain their lead as the Wild stormed back with Robbie Earl and John Scott each scoring their first career goals 20 seconds apart.
"It was pretty special," Earl said. "It hasn't really sunk in. I'm ultimately just glad that I was able to contribute and give us a chance to win."
Earl tied it for Minnesota at 2:21 of the third before the teams went to overtime and the shootout, where Jokinen scored the lone goal.
Just 2:54 into the first, Jokinen opened the scoring for Carolina and Corvo added a power-play marker at 17:49 for a 2-0 lead.
Whitney put the Hurricanes up 3-0 at 4:59 of the second before Antti Miettinen deflected a Brent Burns point shot past Leighton at 8:43 to cut the Wild's deficit to two.
Another Carolina power play resulted in a Sutter goal at 10:08 to restore the three-goal lead before the Wild mounted their comeback.
Backstrom (7-8-2) stopped 31 shots in the loss for the Wild (7-11-2).
With files from The Associated Press
