Boston, MA -- (Sports Network) - Scott Walker's first career playoff goal was a Game 7 overtime winner that propelled the Carolina Hurricanes past the Boston Bruins, 3-2, to wrap up their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Ray Whitney sent a shot in on Tim Thomas with time winding down in the first OT. Thomas tried to swat the rebound away from the crease but Walker charged the net and chipped it up and over the Boston goaltender with 1:14 left on the clock, shocking the Bruins faithful gathered at TD Banknorth Garden.

"The shift before I went down and didn't shoot the puck and Ray (Whitney) gave me trouble for not shooting it. When he had it...I knew he was going to shoot it and I just went to the net and tried to bang it in," Walker said of his game-winner.

Top-seeded Boston had erased a three games to one deficit in this series to force the deciding Game 7 but has never come back to win down 3-1 in 21 opportunities.

"It's hard. There's not much you can say. Obviously, there's a huge disappointment. We had higher expectations than this," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien.

Rod Brind'Amour and Sergei Samsonov scored for the 'Canes in regulation and Cam Ward ended with 34 saves in the win. Sixth-seeded Carolina moves on to face Pittsburgh in the conference finals after the Pens took out Washington in Game 7 of their semifinal set Wednesday. Game 1 is set for Monday in Pittsburgh.

The Hurricanes, making their first playoff appearance since winning the Cup in 2006, haven't lost a playoff series since falling to Detroit in five games during the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

Byron Bitz and Milan Lucic found the back of the net for Boston, which got 34 saves from Thomas in a losing effort.

Thomas and Ward traded spectacular efforts in the extra session to keep the game tied at two but it was Ward that ultimately held up in the end, withstanding a barrage of key scoring chances by Boston with the Hurricanes laboring.

Carolina continually iced the puck late in the frame and Ward was forced to make big stops on Chuck Kobasew and Stephane Yelle. Thomas, meanwhile, scrambled to turn back a fluttering shot from Walker and the resulting rebound just before yielding the game-winner.

"We played a very solid game. We talked about it...if it were to happen that they were to get the first goal, we made sure we wouldn't hit the panic button and would stick to what we needed to do," said Ward. "I thought our guys executed really well. Boston also played very well. i thought it was a game that could have gone either way. What a relief to see that overtime goal go in."

The B's were the aggressors from the outset and scored the game's first goal at 7:42 of the first. Bitz controlled the puck behind the net following an offensive zone draw and sent it back to Dennis Wideman for a shot above the left circle. The shot went wide on the left side but caromed off the boards right back in front where Bitz deposited his first career playoff tally.

The Hurricanes were able to gain some momentum when P.J. Axelsson was called for hooking Eric Staal in front of the Boston net with 8:01 remaining. Carolina evened the score just after the power play expired as Dennis Seidenberg's shot from the high slot deflected off the leg of a screening Brind'Amour in front and past Thomas.

Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu took a slashing minor late in the period but Ward and the 'Canes were up to the task and went to the second tied at one.

Ward was tested with 11 shots in the opening 20 minutes while Thomas faced 10.

Matt Cullen took a hooking minor early in the second but the 'Canes survived, allowing the visitors to take their first lead less than two minutes later.

Joni Pitkanen carried up the left wing and gained the Bruins' zone before firing cross-ice for a cutting Samsonov at the right post for the tip-in at 7:44.

Frantisek Kaberle was boxed for hooking shortly thereafter and Samsonov for holding later in the period but Boston wasn't able to cash in either time.

Ward, who ended the second having to make six saves, stoned Michael Ryder point-blank from the low right circle just inside the three-minute mark to help Carolina carry a 2-1 edge into the final stanza. Thomas finished with 10 saves in the middle frame.

Carolina opened the third on the power play on a carry-over call from the second and nearly took a 3-1 lead in the opening minute when a shot rang off the left post and sat just in front of the goal line before Aaron Ward cleared the puck.

The missed opportunity proved costly as Boston tied the game at 6:19. Marc Savard held the puck in behind the Carolina cage and emerged on the right side for a wide-angle shot into the left pad of Ward. The rebound squirted out into the slot and Lucic slammed it back into the net.

Both teams turned up their level of play in hopes of netting the game-winner but the respective netminders turned up their level of play as well with Thomas stopping all nine third-period shots from the 'Canes and Ward making 11 saves to force overtime.