|
 Skinner scored his 100th career goal during a game-changing
second period and the surging Hurricanes defeated the Calgary Flames
4-1 on Monday night at PNC Arena.
"A lot of guys have been contributing," Skinner said. "(The
milestone) is a nice achievement. Hopefully, I can get a couple
more."
At age 22, Skinner became the fourth-youngest player in franchise
history to reach the 100-goal mark. The tally, which was scored with
8:45 left in the second period to give the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead,
was set up on a pass from right winger Alexander Semin.
Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk, left winger Zach Boychuk and
defenseman Tim Gleason also scored for Carolina.
The Hurricanes (5-6-3) have a six-game points streak, moving to
4-0-0 in home games this month.
"It's nice to chip in and keep this good thing going," said Skinner,
who's in his fifth NHL season.
 Goalie Cam Ward registered a victory in his fifth consecutive
outing, stopping 22 shots.
"I liked our game," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "We're trying
to form an identity. We're doing things I like. ... We have a long
way to go. We're going to keep going at it."
Right winger David Jones scored on a first-period power play for the
Flames (9-6-2), who won three of five games on the road trip.
Calgary goalie Jonas Hiller, who shut out the Hurricanes in October,
made 27 saves.
After the first period, Carolina held a 26-15 edge in shots.
"We wanted to put on the gas pedal and keep it going," Ward said.
Gleason's third-period goal was his first of the season as he
returned from a weekend absence because of an upper-body injury.
Skinner assisted on the tally.
Skinner has a total of four points across the past three games. He
recorded his third goal of the season.
During Ward's winning streak, he has surrendered seven goals in five
games. His five victories this season put him halfway to last
season's 10-win total, though he missed almost one-third of the
season with injuries.
Faulk posted two assists, giving him a team-high total of eight this
season.
The Hurricanes scored two second-period goals to build a 3-1 lead.
"Their second power-play goal seemed to put a dent on us and we
couldn't recuperate," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "Usually, we
can find another gear, but tonight it wasn't there."
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Faulk scored four seconds into a second-period power play to snap a
1-1 tie. He said the offense resulted from steady play in the
defensive zone.
"When you take care of your own end first, you get scoring chances
at the other end," Faulk said.
In the first period, Jones' goal came 13:09 into the game off a feed
from left winger Curtis Glencross. Flames defenseman Mark Giordano,
who entered the game with four consecutive multi-point outings,
picked up the other assist on the play.
Carolina answered with 2:30 remaining in the opening period when
Boychuk's goal came on a tough angle shot and off the helmet of
Hiller.
Calgary was aiming for its 1,500th regular-season victory. The
Flames will try for that triumph at home as they've concluded a
five-game trip.
"(Fatigue) wasn't a factor at all," Hartley said. "If anyone is
tired in this group, there's something wrong."
NOTES: With LW Jeff Skinner scoring his 100th career goal, the
players in franchise history to reach that mark at a younger age
were Sylvain Turgeon, Ron Francis and Geoff Sanderson. ... C Max
Reinhart was in Calgary's lineup for the first time this season. LW
Sven Baertschi was scratched. ... G Karri Ramo was the reserve for
the Flames even though his first career shutout came in January
against Carolina. ... Hurricanes D Tim Gleason was back in the
lineup after missing time with an injury, with teammate D Brett
Bellemore sitting out with an upper-body injury. ... Hurricanes D
Michel Jordan was called up from Charlotte of the AHL earlier in the
day, but he was scratched for what would have been his NHL debut.
... After wrapping up a five-game road trip, the Flames begin a
five-game homestand Thursday night against the Arizona Coyotes. ...
The Hurricanes stay home for Thursday night's game against Winnipeg.
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