Cam Ward, Hurricanes shut out Sharks

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cam Ward made 22 saves and Joakim Nordstrom scored to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 1-0 win against the San Jose Sharks at PNC Arena on Tuesday.
Nordstrom gathered the rebound of his shot from the left circle, cut across the slot and beat rookie goaltender Aaron Dell at 10:48 of the third period for his first goal of the season. Dell, who made 32 saves, was making his second NHL start.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I missed the first one, so I was kind of happy to get a second chance there, Nordstorm said. "If I was going to be able to put it on net, I didn't want to pass up a chance like I've done a couple times before. Guess I got lucky there."

WATCH: All Sharks vs. Hurricanes highlights
Ward's shutout was the 24th of his NHL career and first of the season for the Hurricanes (5-6-4). While the Sharks didn't test Ward with odd-man rushes, the Carolina goaltender fended off several pucks that were re-directed in front of the net, particularly in the first period.
"I felt composed, where I wasn't moving too much," Ward said. "Sometimes you move too much and you open up holes. Today I felt very compact in my position. When they get tips like that, if you're in a good spot, you'll get hit by the puck."
The Sharks (9-7-0) saw their three-game winning streak end.
The Hurricanes and Sharks traded quality shots in the first period, but neither team could create second chances on rebounds. Carolina held a 13-12 edge in shots in the period.
The second period was tight checking and the Hurricanes had a few scoring chances. Dell was sharp on successive shots by Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Minutes later, Dell stopped Lee Stempniak's shot on a 2-on-1 and smothered Brock McGinn's rebound attempt. Carolina held the Sharks to two shots in the period.
"[Dell] was excellent," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. "He gave us a chance to hang around in a game we didn't deserve to be in and that's all you can ask for. He was outstanding."

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Goal of the game

Even if it weren't the only goal of the game, Nordstrom's score would be a worthy choice. Victor Stalberg made a fine play in the defensive zone before carrying the puck up ice. Jay McClement gathered the rebound of Nordstrom's shot and set him up for the follow-up chance.

Save of the game

Patrick Marleau's feed to Joonis Donskoi at the net at 10:13 of the third period was the Sharks' best scoring chance of the night, but Ward squeezed the pads together for the save, just 35 seconds before Carolina scored the game-winner.

Highlight of the game

Dell, playing in his third NHL game, robbed Jeff Skinner early in the third period. Paul Martin's ill-advised clearing pass wound up on the stick of Skinner, whose snap shot was headed under the crossbar. Dell made a remarkable glove save.

Unsung moment of the game

The Hurricanes set the tone for their game in the first period. After Jordan Staal won a neutral zone faceoff, the Hurricanes sustained pressure in the offensive zone for 2:13 before the Sharks could clear the puck.
"That's a great way to start the game," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. "All of a sudden, you're starting on time, you have a dominating shift, something to build off of. The bench is excited, they want to follow that up and duplicate that success."

They said it

"I think it starts from the goal out. Ward has played some unbelievable games, our forwards are getting in on [the forecheck] and we're playing a very fast team game right now." -- Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin
"They're tight on you, they're pressed up, they skate well. You have to put pucks in good places and then you have to win battles, and we didn't do enough of either." -- Sharks coach Pete DeBoer

Need to know

Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk returned to the lineup after a three-game absence because of an upper-body injury. He played 22:49 and finished with two shots on goal. … Carolina won back-to-back games for the first time this season. ... Teravainen had six shots on goal, all in the first period. ... Ward has allowed two goals or fewer in five of his past six starts. ... Each team committed one minor penalty.

What's next

Sharks: At the St. Louis Blues on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; CSN-CA, FS-MW, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes: Home against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS, SNE, FS-CR, NHL.TV)