Cole's hat trick lifts Hurricanes by Canucks 5-3

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 06, 2009

RALEIGH

Erik Cole scored three goals and the Carolina Hurricanes held off the Vancouver Canucks for a 5-3 victory yesterday, ending their five-game skid.

Cole's sixth career hat trick was his first multi-goal game for Carolina since he was reacquired from Edmonton on March 4.

Ray Whitney had a goal and two assists for Carolina, which ended Vancouver's three-game road winning streak. The loss was the Canucks' six games against Eastern Conference opposition this season.

Carolina goalie Manny Legace stopped 31 shots while Vancouver's Andrew Raycroft had 25 saves.

Jannik Hansen put the Canucks ahead at 12:02 of the first, beating Legace on a soft shot over his glove-side shoulder from the right circle. Henrik Sedin set up he goal.

But Whitney evened the score for Carolina just 20 seconds later, taking a pass from Eric Staal in the left circle and flipping a back-handed shot over Raycroft's left shoulder.

Cole put Carolina ahead 2-1 at 3:55 of the second, taking a snap wrist shot from the slot off a pass from Whitney. Sergei Samsonov made it a two-goal lead at 6:06, beating Raycroft over the left shoulder from the right circle.

Carolina made the score 4-1 on a power play at 18:59 of the second, when Raycroft appeared to lose the puck out of his glove before it slid across the line. Cole, the last Hurricane to touch the puck, was credited with his second goal.

Steve Bernier brought the Canucks back to within 4-2 at 10:07 of the third, receiving Mikael Samuelsson's pass from behind the goal and across the crease, tipping the puck off Legace's left skate into the net.

Vancouver 1 0 2 -- 3
Carolina 1 3 1 -- 5

First Period--1, Vancouver, Hansen 4 (H.Sedin), 12:02. 2, Carolina, Whitney 7 (Staal, A.Ward), 12:22.

Second Period--3, Carolina, Cole 4 (Whitney, Gleason), 3:55. 4, Carolina, Samsonov 4 (Ruutu, Cullen), 6:06. 5, Carolina, Cole 5 (Whitney, Staal), 18:59 (pp).

Third Period--6, Vancouver, Bernier 8 (Samuelsson, Wellwood), 10:07. 7, Vancouver, Burrows 9 (D.Sedin, H.Sedin), 14:45. 8, Carolina, Cole 6 (Pitkanen), 19:46 (en).

Shots on Goal--Vancouver 14-6-16--36. Carolina 7-13-8--28. Goalies--Vancouver, Raycroft. Carolina, Legace. A--14,990 (18,680). T--2:20.