RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina center Eric Staal scored in the shootout and Anton Khudobin beat his former team as the Hurricanes edged the Boston Bruins 2-1 Sunday afternoon.
Carolina, last in the Eastern Conference (12-23-4), hadn’t won two in a row since early November and has scored just 10 goals in its last eight games, but relied on Khudobin in net for most of the night after beating Philadelphia on Friday night.
Khudobin stoned all three Boston shooters and has now stopped 13 of 15 shots in shootouts in his career. Meanwhile, Staal came in just 4-for-19 in shootouts, but beat Tuukka Rask blocker side as Carolina’s third shooter to clinch the victory
Boston (19-15-6), which managed just two third-period shots and one in overtime, lost its fourth straight shootout. It was also the seventh time in the last 11 games the Bruins have gone to overtime or a shootout.
After a sluggish start offensively, the Bruins tied the score with 5:25 left in the second when center Patrice Bergeron took a centering pass from left winger Brad Marchand and slipped the puck between the legs of Khudobin, who at the time was playing stellar in net and gunning for a shutout against his former team.
Outshooting Boston 11-0 through the opening 16 minutes, Carolina’s fourth line got the Hurricanes on the scoreboard first. Right winger Patrick Dwyer scored with 33.2 seconds left in the period, poking in a rebound off center Jay McClement’s shot from the slot that Rask fumbled away. It was Dwyer’s third of the season and first goal since Nov. 28.
Staal, with goals in three straight games entering Sunday’s contest, failed to register his 300th career goal, his best chance coming with Rask far out of the net early in the second period and the Hurricanes on the power play. However, Boston left winger Daniel Paille was able to get to the crease in time to block the shot with his glove.
NOTES: Boston rookie C Seth Griffith celebrated his 22nd birthday Sunday. … Carolina G Anton Khudobin made his first career start against his former team. … Boston is the only team in the league that hasn’t allowed a shorthanded goal. … The offensively-challenged Hurricanes have scored two goals or less 18 times less than halfway through the season after totaling 21 all of last year. … Carolina has inched up the NHL penalty-killing stats the last two weeks, ranking sixth. The Canes have not finished in the top 10 in this category since the 2006-07 season. … Bruins LW Simon Gagne missed his 12th consecutive game while on a personal leave of absence to be with his ailing father, who has been diagnosed with liver cancer.