Ward, Aho help Hurricanes shut out Penguins

PITTSBURGH --Cam Ward made 21 saves, and Sebastian Aho scored twice to help the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.
The shutout was Ward's first of the season and his 26th in the NHL. His last came on Dec. 4, 2016, when he made 30 saves in a 1-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

WATCH: [All Hurricanes vs. Penguins highlights]
"It's always great to get a shutout," Ward said. "I haven't gotten too many of those throughout my career, but it was a complete team effort. I thought our PK was really strong again. They have one of the top power plays in the League and I don't think I even faced a shot. So that's a kudos to the guys for stepping in and making some big blocks in big times of the game."
Pittsburgh did not register a shot on either of its two power plays.
Aho, who had one assist in addition to two third-period goals, has 10 points (six goals, four assists) during a six-game point streak. He said he was less interested in his individual achievements and more concerned with Carolina defeating a Metropolitan Division opponent.
"I think the most important points for our team are the two points," Aho said. "That's good for me. A good win for us."
The Hurricanes (19-13-8) have won eight of their past 11 games (8-2-1) despite losing their previous two (0-1-1).
Matt Murray made 29 saves for the Penguins (20-19-3), who have not won consecutive games since Dec. 1-2, when they defeated the Buffalo Sabres twice by a combined score of 9-1. They have been shut out in two of their past three home games, including 4-0 against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 23.

"Quite honestly, at this point, we're trying to find some spark that gives us some juice to get back into some hockey games," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I don't [think the reason Pittsburgh hasn't won consecutive games recently] is any one thing. I think it's a combination of things. It seems like it could be something different every night.
"It starts with a compete level and a mindset, and a willingness to win puck battles and things of that nature. ... We have to find a way to push back there at those critical times during the game when a team gets a lift."
Jeff Skinner gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 6:50 of the second period after he poked the puck off Ian Cole's stick in the neutral zone. Skinner drove toward the net, held off Cole and shot over Murray's glove for his 13th goal of the season and his second in his past 13 games.
Teuvo Teravainen extended the lead to 2-0 at 16:53. Jaccob Slavin sent a backhand pass across the crease to Aho, who passed back through the middle of the zone for Teravainen to send a wrist shot past Murray.

Aho made it 3-0 by beating Justin Schultz to the front of Pittsburgh's net and backhanding a shot through Murray at 9:14 before scoring again and pushing it to 4-0 at 12:33.

Goal of the game

Skinner's goal at 6:50 of the second period.

Save of the game

Ward's save on Patric Hornqvist at 1:43 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Aho's first goal, at 9:14 of the third period.

They said it

"Our division is a bit of a dog fight, obviously. It has been for the last couple years and our guys are well aware of that. We have enough maturity in the room with the veteran leadership and the addition of some of the guys that we brought in this summer to recognize the importance of certain games."-- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters
"Just, in general, I think it's tough to have that level of compete every night. It doesn't come easy. You've got to earn your chances, fight to get to the front of the net. Those are all tough things that when it's going well, it seems like every time you do those things, the puck goes in the net. When it's not, you have to fight to get there and get the bounces. We haven't done that consistently."-- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby

Need to know

Skinner scored his 193rd NHL goal to pass Pat Verbeek for seventh on the Hurricanes all-time goals list. … Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin did not play. He sustained a concussion while taking a puck to the head from Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux on Tuesday. Sullivan labeled him as day to day.

What's next

Hurricanes: At the Boston Bruins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NESN, FS-CR, NHL.TV)
Penguins: At the New York Islanders on Friday (7 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, SN, MSG+, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)