Cam Ward cements status as Hurricanes top goalie during 2-1 exhibition win against Penguins

Cam Ward was the winning goalie Friday in the Carolina Hurricanes’ final preseason game.

He’ll also be the starting goalie when the regular season begins next week against the Nashville Predators, Canes coach Bill Peters said.

Ward denied the Pittsburgh Penguins time and again Friday at PNC Arena, moving smartly in net and making 34 saves during a 2-1 victory as Carolina won its fourth straight to close out its preseason schedule.

“He kept us in it,” said forward Chris Terry. “They’re a very skilled team and will get their chances, and he answered every one of them.”

James Wisniewski was credited with the winning goal, barely three minutes into the third period. Jordan Staal had a goal with 30.9 seconds left in the first period.

Ward went into training camp prepared to be challenged by goalie Eddie Lack, who was obtained in an offseason trade with Vancouver. Lack was sharp in his first preseason start, against the Washington Capitals, while Ward allowed six goals on 21 shots as the Canes were beaten 7-3 by the Pens in the second exhibition.

Peter said he shrugged off Ward’s play in that game. He said the Canes dressed a lineup with too many inexperienced players to face a team that loaded up on its top players for its preseason home opener.

“Zero concern,” Peters said. “I didn’t watch any of that game, period. We didn’t have enough people in that game.”

The Pens again had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and many of its top guns in Friday’s game. But a confident Ward was all over the crease, allowing only a third-period goal to forward Pascal Dupuis, who backhanded a rebound.

“It’s about fine tuning things,” Ward said. “Against Pittsburgh you’ve got to be on your toes and you’ve got to be ready. We saw what they did to us in Pittsburgh when we weren’t exactly ready, so we were able to turn that around and have a much better outcome.

“I’ve been real happy with my movement during this training camp. I’ve been real pleased with my last two games. Today I was a little rusty playing the puck but was stopping the puck, so it all worked out.”

Taking a pass from Nathan Gerbe, Staal spun out from behind the Pens net for a quick shot. Riley Nash, battling Crosby in front of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, provided a screen to allow the puck to fool Fleury.

Wisniewski’s goal came after the Canes killed off a double-minor, high-sticking penalty against the defenseman. Taking a pass from Eric Staal, Terry wristed a shot from the right circle that glanced off Wisniewski and past Fleury..

Ward was at his best during the Pens’ four power plays. He made six saves as the Canes killed off eight short-handed minutes.

With defenseman Ron Hainsey out with an injury, Peters used Michal Jordan in the top defensive pairing with Justin Faulk. Jordan made some hustling stick plays in front of Ward and dropped the gloves to fight David Perron in the third.

Peters also gave defenseman Noah Hanifin another chance against the Pens. Hanifin made his professional debut Sept. 22 in the loss in Pittsburgh – an eye-opener for the Canes’ first-round draft pick this year.

Hanifin, paired with Ryan Murphy, appeared more comfortable Friday and Murphy did his part with some good stick plays and some blocked shots.

While the four victories don’t count in the standings, the Canes have a good, positive vibe.

“With a four-game winning streak, the mood is good in the locker room,” Terry said. “We build off each win. A win’s a win, even if it’s just the preseason.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 9:49 PM with the headline "Cam Ward cements status as Hurricanes top goalie during 2-1 exhibition win against Penguins."