Raleigh, NC -- (Sports Network) - Carolina got goals from six different players and erased an early two-goal deficit with a 6-4 win over the Florida Panthers in a Southeast Division battle and the regular-season opener for both squads from the RBC Center.

Dan LaCouture wound up with the eventual game-winner in the third while Tuomo Ruutu and Ray Whitney had first period goals. Rod Brind'Amour and Joni Pitkanen tallied in the second for the Hurricanes, who won the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup title in 2006 but missed the postseason in the two years following that triumph.

Cam Ward halted 29-of-33 shots to get the win while Tim Gleason notched three assists.

"There were some good things and certainly some things we can do better. I thought it was important for us to come back from 2-0, we showed some character there," 'Canes head coach Peter Laviolette said of the effort.

Former Hurricane Cory Stillman and David Booth had a goal and assist each for Florida, which has the league's longest current postseason drought, having last made the playoffs in 2000.

Tomas Vokoun allowed five goals on 23 shots and the Panthers lost in head coach Peter DeBoer's debut behind the bench.

"We didn't lose because of Tomas Vokoun. It's early in the season and I think there's a lot of things we need to work on as a group," DeBoer said. "We'll get back to the drawing board. We did a lot of good things we'll dwell on the positives and move forward."

Carolina did a good job of clogging the crease with bodies and Pitkanen snapped a shot from along the right boards that found its way through and past Vokoun to surge ahead 4-3 with just over five minutes remaining in the second.

Vokoun coughed up a rebound on a relatively easy but low shot from Niclas Wallin 3 1/2 minutes into the third and LaCouture was there to put home the rebound for a two-goal advantage.

Florida's Wade Belak took a minor penalty for holding six seconds later but the Panthers killed it off and went on a man-advantage of their own at the 11:31 mark when Dennis Seidenberg was boxed for kneeing. Nathan Horton took a pass from Stillman at the right circle, skated in and fired a shot past Ward on the far side to make it a 5-4 game.

Florida got a man-advantage late when Ruutu took a hooking penalty at the 15:11 mark but came up empty. The Panthers then pulled Vokoun with under a minute to play and Matt Cullen put one in the empty net for the 6-4 final.

Florida took an early lead just over four minutes in when Booth picked up a loose puck just inside the zone, skated between two defenders and flipped the puck up and over the left shoulder of Ward.

Less than two minutes later, the Panthers tallied on a 5-on-3 advantage when Stephen Weiss fed Stillman in front from below the right circle.

Carolina ate into the lead just past the midway point of the opening period with a power-play goal following an interference call. Seidenberg's shot from the right point was tipped by Ruutu and past Vokoun.

Whitney tied things up 2-2 when he grabbed a loose puck from below the left circle, skated out in front and lifted one over Vokoun's left shoulder.

A power-play tally from Brind'Amour 6 1/2 minutes into the second period gave Carolina a 3-2 lead. The captain tipped a shot coming in from the point from Frantisek Kaberle, then grabbed his own rebound and fired a shot that trickled under Vokoun.

Florida tied things 3-3 with just under seven minutes to play in the second. Ward stopped a shot by Booth with the right pad but the rebound kicked out into the left slot and Radek Dvorak rammed it home.

Game Notes

Carolina went 5-3 against the Panthers last year and has taken 13 of the last 16 matchups between the clubs. Florida is just 1-15 with a tie in its last 17 trips to Raleigh...Injuries have reared their ugly head for Carolina prior to the 2008-09 campaign, as speedy winger Justin Williams was lost for the next four-to- six months with a torn right Achilles and forward Scott Walker is expected to miss the next six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left hand....Brind'Amour underwent surgery on his left knee just over three weeks ago and was listed as doubtful to play...Panthers defenseman Bryan McCabe left the game with a back injury after taking a hit along the boards in the second period...Kaberle had two assists for Carolina...Whitney's goal was his 200th point with the Hurricanes...Among those tallying their first points with new teams were Stillman, Pitkanen and LaCouture...Brandon Sutter got his first NHL point with an assist in his league-debut for Carolina.