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'Canes Get Important OT Win

April 1, 2001 / 6:50 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Shane Willis scored 1:18 into overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 Sunday and moved back in front in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Willis, second in NHL rookie scoring entering the game, beat goalie Patrick Lalime with a wrist shot from the slot. The Hurricanes, with 83 points, jumped one point ahead of Boston into eighth place. Each team has four games remaining.

The Hartford/Carolina franchise has qualified for postseason play only once in the past seven seasons (1998-99). Jeff O'Neill scored twice for the Hurricanes in front of Ottawa's 17th sellout of the season.

The Senators, who had goals from Shawn McEachern and Alexei Yashin, took a two-point lead over New Jersey atop the Eastern Conference.

Ottawa had lost only one of its previous nine games (7-1-1) and were unbeaten in six. The Hurricanes had lost three of four.

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O'Neill, Carolina's leading goal-scorer, gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead 2:46 in. He beat Lalime with a shot from just inside the blue line.

The Hurricanes took the first 11 shots of the game, and outshot the Senators 16-9 after the first period.

McEachern beat Carolina goalie Arturs Irbe with the Senators' first shot of the game on a power play at 11:01 of the first. It was the Senators 16th power-play goal in 11 games.

The Hurricanes, who own the second-ranked penaty-killing unit, had not allowed a power-play goal in seven games.

Irbe appeared in his 73rd game of the season, making his 64th start in 66 games.

O'Neill scored his 37th goal at 16:59, firing a quick shot from the top of the right circle.

Yashin, who entered 10th in the league in scoring, took a pass from Curtis Leschyshyn and beat Irbe to make it 2-2 only 3:25 into the second. It was Yashin's 38th goal of the season.

Senators defenseman Chris Phillips left the game later in the period with a bruised left shoulder.

Ottawa defenseman Karel Rachunek was helped off the ice with 5:08 remaining in the third period after he was hit on the left knee by a shot from O'Neill.