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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – The man who carried the Carolina Hurricanes
all season couldn't give one more top performance Sunday in a loss
to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Aleksey Morozov, Ian Moran and Martin Straka scored first-period
goals as the Penguins – resting stars Mario Lemieux and Jaromir
Jagr – beat the Hurricanes and goaltender Arturs Irbe 6-4 in the
regular-season finale for both teams.
|  | | Pittsburgh's Janne Laukkanen, left, goes after Carolina's Sami Kapanen (24) in the first period Sunday. Each received two-minute penalties for the scuffle. |
Irbe was sensational most of the season for Carolina, appearing
in an NHL-high 77 games in net. But he allowed six goals on just 22
shots as the loss denied Carolina a better Stanley Cup playoff
position.
"We wanted to finish on a good note, but it didn't happen,"
Irbe said. "I guess the toll of the playoff race really got us. I
couldn't put my best game on the ice. I got caught a couple of
times trying to go ahead of the play and think too much. I got a
spanking."
Pittsburgh, which avoided its first season sweep against
Carolina since 1986-87, blew the three-goal lead in the first 14
minutes of the second period, but got the go-ahead goal from Jan
Hrdina late in the second.
Andrew Ference and Morozov added insurance goals 32 seconds
apart midway through the third to snap Carolina's five-game
unbeaten streak.
"He's always been a secret weapon for us," Alexei Kovalev said
of Morozov. "He just needs time to play a little more. When you
play more, you get more comfortable."
Rod Brind'Amour scored his 20th on Carolina's third power-play
tally with 3:21 left.
Carolina, which clinched a postseason berth Friday night, could
have moved past Toronto and into the No. 7 spot in the Eastern
Conference with a victory. But the Hurricanes failed to slow
Pittsburgh's offense without Lemieux and Jagr and will face the
defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils in an
opening-round playoff series instead of Ottawa.
"This meant a lot to them," Moran said. "They've been playing
playoff hockey the last three or four weeks and I know they didn't
want to play against Jersey, I'm sure."
Pittsburgh was locked into the sixth playoff position in the
East and decided not to dress Lemieux and Jagr, who won his fourth
straight and fifth overall scoring title by three points over Joe
Sakic of Colorado.
It didn't matter as the Penguins scored three in the opening
13:27 against Irbe, who was making his 26th straight start in net
for the Hurricanes.
"To get beaten by a team 6-4 without the two best players in
the world on the ice is pretty scary," Carolina's Jeff O'Neill
said. "They've definitely got some skill over there."
Carolina roared back in the second, getting power-play goals
less than two minutes apart from David Tanabe and O'Neill, and then
a tip-in by Tommy Westlund to tie it at 3-3.
Ron Francis assisted on O'Neill's 41st to give him at least 50
assists in 15 NHL seasons.
Carolina's lead was short-lived though as Tanabe took a holding
penalty and Hrdina scored his 15th two minutes after Westlund's
goal on a perfect setup by Kovalev, who also assisted on Straka's
27th of the season.
It was the third game Lemieux missed since making a spectacular
return from retirement Dec. 27, finishing the regular season with
35 goals and 41 assists in 43 games.
Game notes
Carolina gave up three goals in the first for the first
time since a Dec. 9 loss at Calgary. ... With Jagr sitting out,
Robert Lang and Straka were the only Penguins to play in all 82
games. ... Francis, Sami Kapanen and O'Neill logged 82 games each
for the Hurricanes. ... Kapanen played in his 400th career game.
... Pittsburgh has allowed at least one power-play goal in 10 of
its last 11.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Carolina Clubhouse
RECAPS
Pittsburgh 6
Carolina 4
Colorado 4
Minnesota 2
Philadelphia 2
Buffalo 1
Columbus 4
Chicago 3
Washington 2
Tampa Bay 1
San Jose 4
Anaheim 1
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