RALEIGH, N.C. _ The fact that goalie Michael Leighton started and won Sunday for the Carolina Hurricanes was a story in itself.
But on this day, a part of the story.
The Hurricanes had a lousy first period against the Florida Panthers. Leighton was shaky early, center Jordan Staal was injured and the Panthers left the ice after the period with a 2-0 lead.
And then the Canes rallied. And won, 3-2.
Led by Jeff Skinner, the Canes scored three times in the second period, in short order, to surge into the lead. Viktor Stalberg got the Canes on the board, Skinner scored on a breakaway and Derek Ryan's power-play goal gave Carolina the lead.
The Hurricanes (9-8-4) were playing less than 24 hours after a tough 2-1 road loss against Ottawa. They soon were a man down when Staal left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury, appearing to be hit in the neck by the stick of Panthers defensemam Jason Demers.
Staal did not return to the game but Skinner, Leighton _ who had 31 saves _ and the others lifted theirs, playing with some fire in the second period.
Leighton was the Canes' backup in 2008-09, the last time Carolina reached the Stanley Cup playoffs. Waived by the Canes in December 2009, he helped the Philadelphia Flyers reached the Stanley Cup final, only to have injuries lead to a hockey odyssey that took him to Russia and later resulted in a lot of games in the American Hockey League.
Signed by the Canes this year as a free agent, he was with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL until needed on an emergency recall when goalie Eddie Lack suffered a concussion.
Leighton's last NHL victory came Dec. 30, 2010, against the Los Angeles Kings when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers. His last with the Canes was in November 2009.
The Canes' big second period came after an opening period that produced some of Carolina's poorest hockey of November, perhaps the season.
Ryan later said the Canes were flat in every aspect _ from faceoffs to work ethic to allowing easy entries by the Panthers into the offensive zone. The Panthers' Jaromir Jagr, still so effective ta 44, gave Leighton fits around the crease on both Panthers goals in the first _ Jonathan Marchessault's power-play goal and Aaron Ekblad's goal on a shot that Leighton tried to glove but bounced over his shoulder with Jagr whacking at it.
With Staal out, the lines needed to be juggled. And a grinding shift early in the second by the line of Victor Rask, Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm _ Lindholm getting off a shot _ appeared to energize the bench.
Stalberg, whose first-period penalty led to the Panthers' first goal, scored off a neat pass from behind the net from defenseman Matt Tennyson.
Then came Skinner.
Taking a stretch pass from Rask, Skinner got a step on Ekblad on a breakaway, beating goalie James Reimer with a backhander.
Ninety seconds later, Skinner had another chance. He didn't score but drew a holding penalty on Demers.
Skinner took the draw, then grabbed a loose puck and pushed it toward the net. Ryan was there to rip a shortside shot past Reimer for his first goal of the season.
In 3:28, the Canes had scored three times. Leighton, who earned an assist on the Skinner score, was battling in net, settling in and playing his game.
The Panthers, beginning a six-game road trip, topped Columbus on Saturday at home. They had more jump early Sunday, but the Canes had more over the 60 minutes.
