RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Not even a bad cold and a sore throat can stop Kevin Weekes' hot streak in net for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Ron Francis had a goal and an assist, and Weekes stopped 27 shots for his eighth win of the season as Carolina beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 Tuesday night.
Carolina improved to 4-0-1-1 six games into its franchise-record nine-game homestand, but started out sluggish in this one, only to have Weekes pick up the team with several spectacular saves early in the second period.
"Certainly we left him alone there numerous times and he made some great saves for us," Francis said. "It was good that we found a way to win the hockey game for him."
Weekes improved to 7-1-2 in his last 10 games and has allowed just 10 goals in six games during Carolina's extended stay at the RBC Center.
"We got a little heartbeat after that," coach Paul Maurice said of Weekes' stretch of saves in the second. "Things got a little more heated on the bench.
"We've got Philly next and sometimes it's hard to manufacture that intensity and you need your goaltender to be big on those games to give you a chance. And then you need to find a way to grind it out."
Jan Hlavac, who came to the Hurricanes in a trade with Vancouver 11 days ago, scored his first in a Carolina uniform for the go-ahead goal with 7:37 left in the second period.
The Carolina defense limited the Coyotes to just two shots in the first 14 minutes of the third before Bret Hedican clinched it with a power-play goal.
Hedican also had an assist, and David Tanabe added two assists.
"He and Hedican have a really good thing going there," Maurice said of Tanabe. "They talk well together. They seem to really support each other well and that's important for defensemen."
Shane Doan scored just 5 seconds after coach Bob Francis pulled his goalie with 2:08 left, but Carolina was able to hang on after Patrick DesRochers was yanked a second time with 1:05 remaining.
The loss was the season-worst third straight for Phoenix, which has scored two goals in each defeat.
"Right now we're just getting snake-bitten," coach Bob Francis said. "Obviously we're getting into a predicament where we need points."
Weekes, starting his eighth straight game, kept Carolina in it until Hlavac's goal, stopping five point-blank shots in the opening 1:37 of the period as the Hurricanes were outshot 9-0 to start the second.
One of the sharpest goalies in the NHL the past month was a bit lucky, too, as Deron Quint and Todd Simpson hit goal posts, Simpson's coming with 9:42 left.
"That was tough," Simpson said. "I heard it hit the post and didn't see it come out. I thought for sure that it was in the net."
Hlavac beat DesRochers between the legs from the top of the circle on the power play after taking a pass from Hedican.
Francis also had an assist on the goal to move within eight of 1,200.
The Carolina captain scored career goal No. 519 to put Carolina on top 1-0 in the first before Kelly Buchberger tied it 2½ minutes later, scoring his first goal in 17 games dating to last April.
The Coyotes had a chance to take the lead with 3 seconds left in the first when Doan and Landon Wilson broke out 2-on-0, but Wilson was stopped by Weekes.
Notes: The Hurricanes have points in 10 of their last 11. ... Carolina C Josef Vasicek has missed 11 of the Hurricanes' 16 games with a bad back. ... Hurricanes C Rod Brind'Amour is one game shy of 1,000. ... Francis is five goals shy of tying Bryan Trottier for 22nd on the NHL career list. ... Phoenix has scored first in just five of 17 games.
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