Hurricanes 3, Blackhawks 0
Cam Ward made 30 saves in his first shutout of the season as the host Carolina Hurricanes blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on Friday.
Tim Brent scored his second goal and Brandon Sutter added his third tally for the Hurricanes, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ward had allowed at least three goals in four of his seven starts and had dropped two straight before Friday.
The All-Star goaltender was at his best against Chicago, stopping 15 shots in the second period alone and helping kill off three penalties en route to his 17th career clean sheet.
Brent gave Carolina an early lead at the 3:08 mark of the first period. After winning a faceoff, Brent headed toward the crease in time to get a piece of Tim Gleason’s shot from the left point, redirecting it past Corey Crawford.
The Hurricanes added some insurance in the third on a breakaway. Jussi Jokinen forced a turnover in the Hurricanes zone and flipped it toward Sutter on the left boards. Sutter streaked in and wristed it past Crawford for a 2-0 edge.
Jiri Tlusty put it away with just under five minutes left, finishing a 2-on-1 break with Bryan Allen.