CLEVELAND, Dec.

Matt Cullen's hat trick led the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 victory Sunday over the Colorado Avalanche. Cullen scored in each period of the Hurricanes' third straight win for the first hat trick of his NHL career.

Cam Ward needed to stop just 19 shots Saturday to record his third shutout this season in Carolina's 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. Matt Cullen (shorthanded) and Ray Whitney scored the goals in the first period.

By Gene Cherry RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - The Carolina Hurricanes used a pair of powerplay goals and rookie Cam Ward's goaltending to edge the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 and take control of their Eastern Conference quarter-final series on Sunday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alex Kovalev's double and Cr