Wild, Hurricanes muster one goal each to end with tie
ST. PAUL (AP) -- The expansion Minnesota Wild don't create a lot of offense. They just wait for it to be handed to them.
A Carolina mistake led to Minnesota's only goal as the Wild tied the Hurricanes 1-1 Wednesday night.
While killing a penalty, the Hurricanes pressed a bit too hard in trying to score, and the Wild jumped at the miscue.
Midway through the first period, Jim Dowd intercepted a Carolina pass and passed to Scott Pellerin. With Dave Tanabe draped all over him, Pellerin slid the puck between goalie Arturs Irbe's pads before Pellerin, Tanabe, Irbe and the puck all wound up in the net.
"We pressured them at the blue line, and when they coughed up the puck, Jim made a nice pass," said Pellerin, who has scored two of his three goals while short-handed.
"I tried to go to the net, but there was a guy on me, so I was able to slide the puck under the goalie. After that it was like we all just piled in the net."
The Hurricanes struggled on special teams all night, and that was just one example.
"Five-on-five we were flying," Carolina coach Paul Maurice said. "But we gave up the best shots of the game while we were on the power play because we weren't working hard."
Carolina, outshot 11-6 in the opening period, rebounded to have a 12-9 advantage in the second period.
Halfway through the second, the Hurricanes tied it on Jeff O'Neill's eighth goal of the season. After Tanabe took a bad-angle shot that was sticked away by goalie Manny Fernandez, the rebound went directly to O'Neill in the high slot.
With traffic screening Fernandez's view, O'Neill snapped off a wrist shot that caught the upper left corner of the net.
"The coach said to throw the puck to the net, so I did," Tanabe said. "I didn't shoot it hard or do anything special, it was just a shot on net and we got the rebound."
Pellerin came within a few inches of a second short-handed goal late in the game. With the Wild rushing in on a 3-on-1 break, Pellerin took a slap shot from the right circle that hit the right post.
Hurricanes-Wild, Sums
Carolina 0 1 0 0 -- 1
Minnesota 1 0 0 0 -- 1
First Period--1, Minnesota, Pellerin 3 (Dowd), 12:05 (sh). Penalty--Sekeras, Min (slashing), 10:27.
Second Period--2, Carolina, O'Neill 8 (Tanabe, Kapanen), 9:13. Penalties--Brind'Amour, Car (goalie interference), 1:28; Willis, Car (cross-checking), 4:06; Hendrickson, Min (high-sticking), 10:39; Minnesota bench, served by Neilsen (too many men), 18:41.
Third Period--None. Penalties--Battaglia, Car (holding the stick), 1:33; Walz, Min (cross-checking), 10:10.
Overtime--None. Penalties--None.
Shots on goal--Carolina 6-12-1-0--19. Minnesota 11-9-8-1--29.
Power-play Opportunities--Carolina 0 of 4; Minnesota 0 of 3.
Goalies--Carolina, Irbe 10-9-4 (29 shots-28 saves). Minnesota, Fernandez 7-7-2 (19-18).
A--18,064 (18,064).
Referees--Brad Meier, Scott Zelkin. Linesmen--Brian Mach, Lyle Seitz.