Hurricanes' Cam Ward: Stymies lowly Avs until overtime

Ward was spectacular Friday night -- he halted 35 of 37 shots from the visiting Avalanche -- but he was done in by winger Mikko Rantanen in the 2-1 overtime loss.

Analysis:

While some may be disappointed that the veteran couldn't pick up the victory against the league's worst team, not much blame should be placed on the tender, as Ward looked as cool as a cucumber between the pipes and exhibited excellent rebound control throughout the contest. Unfortunately for the 'Canes, they've lost seven of their past 10 games and if the club faces an early elimination from the playoffs, one would think that Eddie Lack could be used more often since the backup is making $2.75 million this season, despite having drawn into only six games, largely due to a concussion.