RALEIGH, N.C. – Jussi Jokinen scored twice, and Eric Staal had a shorthanded goal and two assists to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.
Jokinen scored on a second-period power play and added an empty-net goal with seven seconds left.
Staal's score, his 22nd of the season, capped a three-goal second-period rally for Carolina, which is 7-2-2 in its last 11 games.
Simon Gagne scored twice for Tampa Bay, which has lost four of its last six, giving up at least five goals in each defeat.
Steven Stamkos gave Tampa Bay an early lead with his league-leading 33rd goal, and the score was 2-2 after the first period. The Lightning took the lead back 1:02 into the second on Gagne's first goal, but Carolina stormed back quickly.
Jamie McBain scored on the power play about three minutes later, and Jokinen took a pass from Sergei Samsonov, shooting past Dwayne Roloson with 13:29 left in the period on a 5-on-3 advantage. Staal then scored off a pass from Erik Cole for a 5-3 lead and Carolina's sixth shorthanded goal of the season.
Gagne scored in the middle of the third period on a breakaway, but Cam Ward (30 saves) was solid the rest of the way. Stamkos was sent to the penalty box with 1:29 left and then sent off the ice for unsportsmanlike conduct after protesting the call.
Notes: Staal moved past Rod Brind'Amour for first on the team's all-time points list since the franchise relocated from Hartford, Conn., to North Carolina. Staal now has 474 points. ... Tuomo Ruutu and Skinner have five-game point streaks for Carolina. ... Carolina is 9-1 against Tampa Bay in the last 10 games at the RBC Center.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.