Cam Ward, Hurricanes defeat Sabres

BUFFALO-- Three players scored, and Cam Ward made 22 saves to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday.
Jeff Skinner put Carolina ahead 1-0 1:44 into the first period when he faked a slap shot and then beat Robin Lehner to the blocker side for his 13th goal of the season.
Justin Faulk made it 2-0 with 2:09 left in the first when he received a pass from Lee Stempniak and shot over Lehner's glove on a 3-on-1 against Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe for his sixth goal.

WATCH: All Hurricanes vs. Sabres highlights
"I'm just trying to join the rush and hoping that their [defense] goes back with [Sebastian] Aho there to kind of open up some space," Faulk said. "[Stempniak] made a really good pass over, just kind of shot it and it went in. So we'll take those."
The Hurricanes (14-11-7) have won two straight and three of the past four. They had not played since Saturday after their home game scheduled for Monday against the Detroit Red Wings was postponed due to ice conditions at PNC Arena.
"I think [the time off] hurt a bit," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "I didn't think we were sharp as we would've been if we kept in the rhythm of playing."
The Sabres (12-12-8) have lost three straight.
Johan Larsson made it 2-1 with his sixth goal of the season 5:32 into the third period.
Aho scored an empty-net goal with 1:00 left.

Goal of the game

Larsson's one-timer in the third period was set up by a pass from Reinhart.

Save of the game

Ward's kick save against Jack Eichel on a Sabres power play with 5:46 left in the third period kept the Hurricanes ahead.
"We need it; the game's on the line, right, it's 2-1 coming down the stretch, you're on the [penalty kill], the building has a little bit of life after they score, they get one there and it's a different situation," Peters said. "So [Ward] was real solid tonight."

Highlight of the game

Faulk's game-winning goal came when he beat Lehner going against the grain.

Unsung performance of the game

Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin was a dual threat on special teams. Of his 22:13 of ice time, he played 2:30 on the power play and a Carolina-high 2:59 on the penalty kill. He had an assist on Skinner's goal, a shot on goal, hit a post, and blocked three shots.

They said it

"[Ward has] been good, timely as well. When you need a big save, I feel, as of late, the guy's been timely, and like I said, it's always a positive when your goalie's playing really well and [Ward has] been unbelievable for us, and hopefully he continues that." -- Hurricanes center Jordan Staal
"We got a couple odd-man rushes early ... when you get odd-man rushes, they're so few and far between now in the League, you've got to bury some or you're going to be in trouble. ... We seemed to get some breaks with the guys in alone on the goalie that you need to finish. Our guys got some up high and hard and we were on our way." -- Hurricanes defenseman Ron Hainsey
"It's disappointing for us, and where we're at right now and where we're at in the season, this game should've been a desperation game for us. … It's disappointing we come out that way and play in the first (period)." -- Sabres coach Dan Bylsma

Need to know

Skinner has four goals and two assists in the past five games. … Eichel hasn't had a point in four straight games. … The Hurricanes went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and have killed an NHL-best 91.5 percent. They've allowed three power-play goals on the road in 52 times shorthanded. … Sabres defenseman Cody Franson was a late scratch and was replaced by Justin Falk. There was no update on Franson following the game.

What's next

Hurricanes: Host the Boston Bruins on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-CR, NESN, NHL.TV)
Sabres: At the New York Islanders on Friday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, MSG-B, NHL.TV)