Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Dan Ellis made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season in the Florida Panthers' 2-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
"My career has gone all over the place," said Ellis. "I've played for a lot of teams. I've been up, I've been down. But I'm here right now. That's what I have to focus on, and I am enjoying it right now. Anything you can do to help a team get into the playoffs, it's a special time of year to get into games."
Brandon Pirri and Dave Bolland lit the lamp for the Panthers, who have won three in a row to remain in the playoff race.
Cam Ward stopped 20-of-21 shots for the Hurricanes, who went 1-3-1 on their five-game homestand.
"I thought we would have had a better homestand, to be honest with you," said Hurricanes coach Bill Peters. "Obviously we wanted more points and more success at home. Now we know what we're up against and what we have to work with."
Ellis made 15 saves during a scoreless first period.
Florida scored on the power play at 16:20 of the middle stanza. Pirri worked a give-and-go with Jimmy Hayes and the former put a backhander past Ward.
Bolland added an empty-net goal with 39.1 seconds left in regulation.
Game Notes
Ellis recorded his 15th career NHL shutout ... The Panthers went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Carolina went 0-for-2 ... Both clubs are in action on Sunday, as Florida plays at the Rangers, while Carolina travels to Columbus.
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