Caron gets first shutout as Penguins defeat Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Rookie goalie Sebastien Caron is making it look easy in net for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then again, who isn’t these days against the struggling Carolina Hurricanes. Martin Straka scored in the first period and Caron recorded his first shutout in his third NHL game as the Penguins beat the defending Eastern Conference champions 2-0 Wednesday night.
Caron, who won his first start 2-1 at Boston on Monday night, stopped 26 shots against the Hurricanes. Carolina, which lost its fifth straight home game, fell to 4-12-2-1 since Dec. 3.
The Hurricanes have been outscored 16-6 during their recent home losing streak.
“The bottom line for us is we’re on the outside looking in and we have to understand that, we’ve got to be aware of that and the urgency has to come from within our room,” Carolina captain Ron Francis said of the playoff picture. “It’s 20 guys understanding that and putting everything on the line for each other when they step on the ice.”
Kent Manderville scored an empty-net goal with 1.5 seconds left to seal it for the Penguins.
Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour hit the post in a wild scramble in front of Caron just seconds before Manderville closed it out against his former team.
“It’s never done until the buzzer goes,” Caron said. “I am really happy. This is like a dream right now, but I’ll try to come down and focus on the next game I have to play or tomorrow at practice.”
NHL scoring leader Mario Lemieux sat out for the third time in Pittsburgh’s last four games with a groin injury, but the Penguins didn’t need much offense against the Hurricanes.
Carolina didn’t get many quality chances on Caron through two periods. He then turned away 11 shots in the third to secure Pittsburgh’s second road win in a row.
Carolina was 0-for-4 on the power play, managing four total shots.
“We really got stationary,” coach Paul Maurice said. “It looked like we were taking an extra half-second to handle the puck and an extra half-second to decide where to put it and that’s all the time there is out there. One second is a lifetime on the power play. We did not move it with any confidence whatsoever.”
Caron, a third-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 1999 draft, has stopped 75 of 76 shots since being called up from the minors on Jan. 7.
“He just did his job,” Pittsburgh coach Rick Kehoe said of his 22-year-old goalie. “What can I say? Just look at the stats, they speak for themselves.”
Carolina’s first-period woes continued as the Penguins took a 1-0 lead on Straka’s rebound goal 8:54 in.
Through 45 games, the Hurricanes have scored first 16 times and have a measly 23 goals in the opening period. Carolina had consecutive power plays late in the first, but couldn’t get a shot on Caron.
Pittsburgh, the top power-play club in the league, had been struggling with the man advantage, going 2-for-25 over a six-game span. But Straka scored his 14th just 28 seconds into a tripping penalty against Jeff O’Neill, beating Kevin Weekes up high.