Cam Ward makes 28 saves to help Hurricanes beat Panthers 3-2

Ward, Cullen lead Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. — Cam Ward made 28 saves, and Matt Cullen had a goal and an assist in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

Patrick Dwyer and Sergei Samsonov also scored for the Hurricanes.

Shawn Matthias and Stephen Weiss scored, and Scott Clemmensen made 21 saves for Florida, which nearly rallied from a three-goal deficit. The loss snapped the Panthers’ three-game winning streak and five-game points streak.

Dwyer opened the scoring, cleaning up Cullen’s wraparound attempt 12:28 into the first period. Dwyer also had the opening goal in Florida’s 6-3 win over Carolina on Friday night.

Cullen gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead on an odd-man rush when he beat Clemmensen with a wrist shot.

Samsonov pushed Carolina’s lead to three in the second, taking advantage of a nice cross-ice pass by Tom Kostopoulos. Samsonov received the puck in the slot and snapped it past Clemmensen’s blocker.

Florida got on the scoreboard 2:17 into the third when Jordan Leopold’s clear-in took a funny bounce behind the net and caught Ward out of position. The puck came to Matthias, who was wide open and had no trouble depositing the puck in the empty net.

The Panthers then took advantage of a prolonged two-man advantage late in the third period with Weiss’ goal. After a slap shot from the slot, the puck dribbled to Weiss, who was open at the side of the net and shoveled it past Ward.

While it had its chances, Florida couldn’t complete the rally from there.

Carolina has been outscored 52-25 in the third period this season.

NOTES: Carolina forward Ray Whitney had an assist to earn his 300th point with the Hurricanes. … Carolina beat Florida 7-2 in October for the Hurricanes’ most-lopsided win of the season.