Staal scores hat trick, Hurricanes top Ducks to retake Metro lead

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jordan Staal scored a hat trick for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 5-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks at PNC Arena on Sunday.

The Hurricanes moved two points ahead of the New York Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
"He got a couple goals tonight, big ones obviously, at crucial times of the game," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Good for him. He's playing well. He always does."
Staal tapped home the rebound of a Nino Niederreiter shot for his second goal to make it 4-2 at 13:42 of the third period. He completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal from Carolina's blue line with 1:02 remaining for the 5-2 final.
The hat trick was the third in Staal's 16 NHL seasons and his first in 10 seasons with the Hurricanes.
"I just try to play my game," Staal said. "That's being reliable and being strong at both ends. When the puck starts to go in, it always feels good, but I continue to just play that solid game that everyone needs to play to help us win."

Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Martinook scored for the Hurricanes (47-18-8). Frederik Andersen made 21 saves.
Josh Mahura and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks (29-33-12), who were eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention after the Dallas Stars defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 on Sunday.
John Gibson, who made 38 saves, has lost his past 12 starts (0-10-2).
The Ducks completed a back-to-back after a 5-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
"Back-to-backs in this League are tough, especially when the other team is waiting for you and elite," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. "I give our guys credit to battle back in the game and at least make a game of it. Even on a good night, if we're rested and ready to go, we're still probably outmatched right now with where our team is at."
Svechnikov gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 1:17 of the first period when he redirected Brady Skjei's shot from the left point.
"It was a big game for us," Svechnikov said. "We've got to try to focus on the next game and play a little bit harder and just play our game."
Carolina went up 2-0 at 5:07 after Staal cut to the net and finished Niederreiter's backhand feed from the end boards.
The Ducks cut the lead to 2-1 at 6:12 on Mahura's wrist shot from inside the blue line.
Martinook made it 3-1 at 9:30 when Max Domi fed him cutting to the net for a backhand goal.

Anaheim made it 3-2 at 11:46 when Terry laid out for the rebound of a Trevor Zegras shot and made a one-handed backhand swipe into an open net.
"I'm proud of battling back, but on the second night of a back-to-back, especially against the caliber of a team like that, you can't be spotting two goals," Terry said. "We knew we were going to have to play a near-perfect game to play with that team and not make many mistakes."
Staal has scored 13 goals in 71 games, including five in the past three games.
"He's our leader, he brings it every single night," Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. "He cares about the game of hockey and he cares about the guys in the locker room. I look up to him as a player and a person, so when you see guys get rewarded like that, it's special."
NOTES: Ryan Getzlaf was minus-3 with one shot on goal and one blocked shot in 16:51 of ice time after missing five games with a lower-body injury. … Staal's three-goal game established the longest span between regular-season hat tricks in NHL history at 4,898 days. His most recent hat trick came as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 7-6 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 11, 2008. … Brind'Amour earned his 167th coaching win, tying Peter Laviolette (2003-08) for second in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. Paul Maurice has 384 (1995-03; 2008-11).