Hurricanes oust Devils in five games

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cory Stillman scored the go-ahead goal on a power play midway through the second period, rookie goalie Cam Ward steadied himself following a rocky start and Carolina beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 Sunday night to advance to the Eastern Conference final.

Frantisek Kaberle, Ray Whitney and Eric Staal also scored for the Hurricane, who will face the Buffalo Sabres next, with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup final.

The Devils took a 1-0 lead less than a minute after the opening faceoff, when Brian Gionta took advantage of a fortuitous bounce to beat Ward, a 22-year-old netminder who was pulled after allowing four goals in a little more than one period Saturday.

He finished with 17 saves, including 10 in the first period when Carolina played short-handed for 8 minutes. The Devils failed to capitalize on any of those power plays, and Kaberle tied the score on the Hurricanes' second shot of the game.