Hurricanes knot series behind Gerber
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Martin Gerber was rested, ready and relieved to make the most of his second chance in the playoffs.
Now the Hurricanes believe they’ve regained the momentum in the Eastern Conference finals against the banged-up Buffalo Sabres.
Gerber stopped 22 shots to register his first career postseason shutout and victory in a 4-0 win Friday night in Buffalo, N.Y., that enabled the Hurricanes to tie the series at 2.
It was Gerber’s first start in a month, more than enough time to recover from a flu bug that contributed to his poor play to open the playoffs. That’s when he allowed nine goals in two starts and lost his starting job to rookie Cam Ward.
“It’s never fun when you’re watching,” Gerber said. “You’ve just got to be patient, keep working hard and wait for your chance.”
Gerber was sharp, stopping 11 shots in the first period, including foiling J.P. Dumont twice from in close during the opening 6 minutes and then getting his glove hand up to rob Chris Drury, who got in alone.
It was a carry-over from Game 3 Wednesday when Gerber stopped all seven shots he faced in replacing Ward, who was pulled after allowing four goals on 26 shots in a 4-3 loss.
The Hurricanes offense did the rest, building a 2-0 lead 9:53 into the game.
“It was huge,” Mark Recchi said of Gerber’s play. “Marty did it all year for us. We know he was sick before, and he might not use it as an excuse. … But we had no doubts that he was going to play the way he did tonight. No question marks whatsoever.”
Bret Hedican had a goal and assist, and Eric Staal scored to extend his point streak to 14 games. Recchi and Andrew Ladd also scored for Carolina.
The best-of-7 series shifts to Raleigh, N.C., for Game 5 Sunday with Game 6 back in Buffalo Tuesday.
Off the ice
Peter Chiarelli was hired by the sagging Boston Bruins as general manager, getting a four-year contract two decades after serving as captain of the Harvard hockey team. Chiarelli had spent the past two years as assistant general manager of the Ottawa Senators. He succeeds Mike O’Connell, fired March 25. … Forward Erik Cole, a pivotal part of Carolina’s Stanley Cup run in 2002, is still recovering from a serious neck injury and won’t rejoin the team during this year’s playoffs, general manager Jim Rutherford said. … Phoenix re-signed goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one-year contract, bringing back the 39-year-old for a 17th NHL season. … Buffalo defenseman Teppo Numminen missed Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals series because of a groin injury. … The Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Adam Berti to a three-year contract.