The Hurricanes answered one particular question with a positive result Saturday night: Their new system isn't nearly as wide-open as the last few seasons. So could they produce goals in a hurry when necessary?

In this case, the answer was yes. They wiped out a two-goal deficit at Tampa Bay.

The brief outburst of scoring might be the exception rather than the rule under coach Paul Maurice. The Hurricanes haven't scored more than three goals in any of their last four games and have eclipsed the three-goal mark only twice in 15 games under Maurice—and they lost one of those two games.

That's why the comeback against Tampa Bay must have been reassuring. The emphasis the last month on defense certainly had to create some doubt about whether the Hurricanes have...

The Carolina Hurricanes extended their modest winning streak by overcoming a slow start. Joni Pitkanen and Justin Williams each had a goal and an assist, and the Hurricanes rallied from an early two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. "We didn't press when we were down 2-0," Williams said.

The Carolina Hurricanes see the St. Louis Blues so infrequently that it's tough for coach Paul Maurice to draw up an effective game plan against them. Somehow Cam Ward seems to have them figured out. Ward flirted with his second shutout of St. Louis this season, stopping 30 shots in Carolina's 2-1 victory Friday night that prolonged the Blues' road struggles.

Sergei Samsonov's backhanders kept the Carolina Hurricanes moving forward under new coach Paul Maurice. Samsonov scored two goals with his backhand and added an assist to lead Carolina past the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Joe Corvo also scored after Samsonov snapped out of a two-goals-in-10-games slump for the Hurricanes.

Another game. Another Boston Bruins victory. Blake Wheeler scored twice in the second period, and Michael Ryder broke a tie with 6:14 left to help the surging Bruins win their seventh straight game, 4-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. "We just get key contributions from guys," said Boston center Marc Savard, who had two assists.

Ho-hum. Another hat trick for Eric Staal. "A hat trick is fun," Staal said. "It's a little better if you can get it at home." Staal scored three goals in 4:31 span of the third period to overshadow Bryan Little's first career hat trick in the Carolina Hurricanes' 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday night.

Niklas Backstrom hadn't heard anything like this from the Xcel Energy Center crowd -- not even in the playoffs. Nursing a one-goal advantage, Backstrom and the Minnesota Wild withstood Carolina's 2-minute 5-on-3 advantage in the third period and ultimately hung on for a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night. Marian Gaborik, Cal Clutterbuck and Stephane Veilleux all scored goals and Backstrom tallied 35...