Hurricanes Reach Finals

RALEIGH, N.C. — Rod Brind’Amour was the do-everything captain for the Carolina Hurricanes all season. It was most fitting that his goal put them into the Stanley Cup finals.

Brind’Amour scored to break a third-period tie and send the Hurricanes into the championship round Thursday night with a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

It is the second trip to the finals in four seasons for the former Hartford Whalers, and marked the franchise’s first victory in a Game 7.

The only obstacle left in the path of the team’s first title is the five-time champion Edmonton Oilers, who have been waiting since Saturday to find out who they will play next.

The best-of-seven matchup opens Monday in Raleigh.

Carolina led, 1-0, but fell behind late in the second period when Doug Janik and Jochen Hecht scored goals.

After Doug Weight tied it at 2-2, Brind’Amour charged toward a loose rebound in front of the crease and flipped the puck past Ryan Miller.

“It’s a crazy game,” Brind’Amour said. “I’m just proud of our guys. We just wouldn’t give up.”

Mike Commodore gave Carolina its early lead, and Justin Williams secured the victory with a goal in the final minute. That finished off the Sabres, who nearly overcame the loss of four regular defensemen and play-making center Tim Connolly.

The teams fought to a standstill for nearly two weeks, with five of the first six games decided by a goal and two decided with power-play goals in overtime.

Now the second-seeded Hurricanes are moving on while the Sabres -- the fourth-seeded team in the East -- head home with the empty feeling that a season’s worth of hard work went unfulfilled.

“The guys did a good job, we just didn’t have enough in the tank, I guess,” Sabres co-captain Daniel Briere said.