Hurricanes' Cam Ward: Triumphant in road start Tuesday

Ward set aside 33 of 36 shots for a 4-3 road win over the Panthers on Tuesday.

Analysis:

The long-tenured Hurricane surrendered two goals in the first period and one in the second before seeing allied forward Jeff Skinner bail him out with back-to-back tallies to finish off the Cats. This was win No. 24 on the season for Ward, which is the most he's had since posting 30 in the 2011-12 campaign. There's not much to get excited about in terms of his numbers -- a 2.71 GAA alongside a .904 save percentage and two shutouts -- but coach Bill Peters has a lot of faith in his top goaltender, and that generally helps him stay focused even when opponents get pucks by him early in games.