Blowin' in the wind
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Carolina Hurricanes are heading home in search of their first Stanley Cup.
They won't have to start over, thanks to an intriguing mix of young and old.
Mark Recchi scored the winning goal in Monday's 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. He's 38 — a full 15 years removed from his only other championship.
Cam Ward had another strong performance in goal. He's a 22-year-old rookie and might just win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP if Carolina finishes off the Oilers.
Cory Stillman scored Carolina's first goal and helped set up the second with some nifty forechecking. He's 32 and seems to be getting better with each passing season.
Eric Staal jumped up to knock down a popped-up puck, then made the pass that set up the winning goal. He's a 21-year-old star-to-be and likely face of this franchise for years to come.
"That's what it has been all year for this hockey club," Recchi said. "I have been fortunate to come in and join it. The young kids they have are terrific. They respect the game."
The Hurricanes got the split they needed in Edmonton and head home with a commanding 3-1 advantage in the series. Game 5 is Wednesday night in basketball-loving Raleigh, now poised to put a different kind of championship on ice.
"We're looking forward to doing that on home ice," Stillman said.
After Edmonton's Sergei Samsonov and Stillman scored 29 seconds apart in the first period, the Hurricanes stunned the Oilers with a lightning quick play that began innocently enough.
Chris Pronger tried to clear the Edmonton zone, but Stillman reached out to get his stick on it. The puck popped up in front of the goal, where the 6-foot-4 Staal jumped up to knock it down with his glove, got control and sent a pass to Recchi at the side of the net.
"Good thing I am 8 feet tall," Staal quipped. "I knew Recchs was kind of back door. I just tried to make a move and throw it back there to him."
Recchi, acquired from Pittsburgh during the season to bolster Carolina's offense, got off a perfectly placed shot under the crossbar that beat Oilers goalie Jussi Markkanen with 4:04 left in the second.
"I play with a lot of energy and I play with a lot of passion," Recchi said. "We've got our horses and I just follow behind and keep this thing going."
Markkanen, making his third straight start in place of injured starter Dwayne Roloson, had another strong game after anchoring the Oilers' 2-1 win in Game 3. The replacement goalie made 18 saves, several of them downright spectacular.
In the first period, Markkanen appeared to get the shaft of his stick on a shot by Rod Brind'Amour — just enough to send it off the crossbar. The Oilers goalie also turned aside Justin Williams with a brilliant glove save early in the third, the left hand coming out of nowhere to snatch a puck that was headed for the top right corner.
Ward's 20 saves didn't look as acrobatic as Markkanen's — maybe because the rookie is playing so well that he makes everything look easy. His positioning was superb, he rarely gave up a dangerous rebound and Carolina could rest easy with its last line of defense.
Markkanen was nearly as solid. The Oilers were let down again by their ineffective power play, which failed to convert five chances — including a lengthy two-man advantage for the second game in a row — and dropped to 1-for-25 in the series.
"We're not getting outplayed," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "They've just been more opportunistic on their chances."
