Hurricanes' goaltender praised for crucial save

He stopped the Oilers' try for a tie with 3.8 seconds left
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Hurricanes were still grumbling Tuesday about how poorly they played, despite coming away with a win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals against Edmonton.
And if it wasn't for rookie goaltender Cam Ward, they knew it could have been much worse.
"We got outshot, outchanced, we got outplayed, plain and simple. If it wasn't for Cam Ward, we would have lost that game," left wing Cory Stillman said after Tuesday's workout at the RBC Center, site of Game 2 on Wednesday.
Carolina rallied from three goals down and Rod Brind'Amour scored off a terrible Oilers turnover in the final minute to give the Hurricanes a 5-4 victory.
"It was great, but I think the only guy who showed up on our team was our goaltender," Stillman said.
Ward made 34 saves against the Oilers, but none was more impressive than a stop on center Shawn Horcoff with 3.8 seconds left when Ward flailed at the puck with his glove hand and batted it away.
"It was one of those instances that Ryan Smyth made a great pass where I kind of anticipated the shot and bit down and just out of pure desperation threw my glove out and just so happened to hit it," Ward said. "It's just a good example of not giving up on the puck, I guess, and getting a little bit lucky at the same time."
Impressive performance
Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said it was an impressive performance given that Ward surrendered three goals in two periods and allowed another that tied the score at 4 late in the third period.
"Usually, if you get one highlight-reel save in a game, it's a good one to get," Laviolette said. "But he probably had four of them. Empty-net, backdoor goal where, somehow, he got across and got a piece of it. He was very focused. He played great, he really did."
Ward, whose beard barely hides the fact that he's just 22, didn't make his NHL playoff debut until it looked like the Hurricanes were about to be run out of the postseason in the first round. But he gave the team hope after replacing regular-season starter Martin Gerber in a Game 2 loss to Montreal.
In Game 3 against the Canadiens, Ward stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn his first playoff victory, and followed that by making 23 saves in a Game 4 win. Stellar efforts in Games 5 and 6 helped Carolina rally from an 0-2 deficit in the series and propel them toward their second run at the Stanley Cup in four seasons.
"His play in the playoffs has been consistent," Laviolette said. "He came in and saved our bacon against Montreal, and he played extremely well."
Edmonton led 3-0 late in the second period Monday. One goal came on a penalty shot and another was the result of a deflection off one of Ward's teammates.
"It's how you respond from those situations that matter," Ward said. "We have been in those situations all season long, and once again, we were able to overcome that obstacle without giving up."
Now that Ward has stepped up, it's his teammate's turn.
"He is still a young guy. He is not a guy that rests on his laurels," said defenseman Aaron Ward, who is not related. "He is just going to be out there and give a performance for all of us. Now the onus is on us to perform for him."
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