Carolina Hurricanes pose for their team photo after defeating the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup in Game Seven in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday night. - REUTERS
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters):
CAM WARD turned in a 22-save performance on Monday night as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 to win their first Stanley Cup.
The Hurricanes blunted an historic comeback bid by the Oilers with the Game Seven win.
Having led the best-of-seven series 3-1 and letting two chances to hoist the Cup slip through their fingers, the Hurricanes did not squander their third and final opportunity riding the energy of a frantic sell-out crowd at the RBC Centre and the MVP netminding of 22-year-old Ward to victory.
The Hurricanes returned to Tobacco Road reeling from two crushing defeats in Games Five and Six but with history still on their side.
In 13 previous Stanley Cup finals taken to a Game Seven, the home team had prevailed 11 times while only one team, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, had ever rallied to erase a 3-1 deficit since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1939.
Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle on the power play and Justin Williams into the empty net each had goals.
That would be all the offence the Hurricanes would need to support Ward, who was named winner of the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player after becoming the first rookie netminder since Patrick Roy in 1986 to lead his team to a Stanley Cup.
Fernando Pisani had the lone Edmonton goal with his playoff leading 14th of the post-season.
