SPORTS

Malhotra’s 2 goals lead Hurricanes to 6-3 win over Sens

The Associated Press Published Saturday, January 25, 2014 3:19PM EST

Carolina Hurricanes' Manny Malhotra (22) shoots the puck past Ottawa Senators goalie Robin Lehner (40) for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Text:

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The Hurricanes took a 4-0 lead early in a wild second period, which produced seven goals.

It was the third straight win for Carolina, which is 11-0-1 in its last 12 home games against Ottawa. The result moved the Hurricanes a point ahead of the Senators in the Eastern Conference standings.

Nathan Gerbe added a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, while Eric Staal, Riley Nash and Tuomo Ruutu each scored.

Kyle Turris scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season for Ottawa, which also got a goal from Mike Zibanejad. Clarke MacArthur and Eric Gryba each had two assists for the Senators.

Carolina goalie Anton Khudobin had 23 saves.

Ottawa goalie Robin Lehner, playing for the first time in five games, was pulled after the second period with a 5-3 deficit and finished with 17 saves. Craig Anderson stopped nine shots in the third.

The game had originally been scheduled for Friday night, but was postponed because of the NHL rule prohibiting teams playing three days in a row.

The Hurricanes' game at Philadelphia on Tuesday night was postponed to Wednesday because of the winter storm and the team was at Buffalo on Thursday night.

Gerbe got Carolina's first goal at even strength at 10:30 of the first. Carolina then outshot the visitors 16-9 in a high-scoring second period.

Staal put the Hurricanes up 2-0 on a breakaway at 6:05 of the second for his 12th of the season.

It went to 3-0 just 22 seconds later on another rush, as Malhotra took Gerbe's pass from the left boards on the glove-side doorstep and buried the puck.

Riley Nash made it 4-0 at 13:23.

Turris broke the shutout at 13:58 with his 16th goal of the season and added a short-handed goal at 17:45.

Ruutu fired in an unassisted power-play goal from the high slot at 19:27 to make it 5-2.

But Zibanejad scored 10 seconds later to finish the scoring in the period.

Malhotra sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 18:19 of the third.

Carolina had won the first meeting of the season 4-1 on Nov. 24 in Raleigh. The last Ottawa win at Carolina was a 3-2 shootout on Oct. 25, 2011.