There are times, said Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, when you have to tip your hat to the opponent.
There was one of those times Thursday when Elias Lindholm of the Carolina Hurricanes fired a shot from the right wing and beat Price cleanly.
“You have to give him credit,” said Price. “The puck was bouncing when he got it but he made a perfect shot to the top corner.”
Fortunately for the Canadiens, that was the only hiccup for Price as he made 31 saves to backstop the Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Hurricanes. He improved his record to 12-1-1 with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.
The Hurricanes came into Montreal with a five-game win streak, including a 3-2 victory over the Canadiens last Friday in Carolina. They outshot Montreal 32-22 and kept the pressure for most of the game.
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“They definitely played a solid, structured game,” said Price. “They executed the game plan very well and they played a good road game. They were holding onto the puck down low and they made it difficult for us.”
The win was important because, even though the Canadiens have the best record in the NHL at 15-4-2, they had only one win in their previous five games and are about to embark on a five-game road trip that includes three stops in California.
“It’s always good to get sent off with a win, but it will be good to get on the road, spend some time together and have some sunshine for a while,” said Price who may be disappointed to learn that the Canadiens will see rain when they land in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Montreal Canadiens’ Andrew Shaw (65) celebrates his goal with teammate David Desharnais (51), during first period NHL action in Montreal on Thursday November 24, 2016.
The Canadiens’ goals were provided by Andrew Shaw, who was playing on the fourth line, and Max Pacioretty, who was playing on a snake-bitten line that included Tomas Plekanec (one goal this season) and Brendan Gallagher who has now gone 15 games without a goal.
Michel Therrien said he wasn’t surprised that Pacioretty delivered the winning goal 14 seconds into the third period.
“I liked the Plekanec line last game when I thought they had good chances, and tonight Max scored the winning goal,” said Therrien. “They had a good shift at the end of the second period and it carried over into the third. With a little bit of luck, Patch could have had a second goal.”
Pacioretty, who hit a post later in the second period, almost didn’t get his first.
Referee Ghislain Hebert points to the goal has Montreal Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes, during third period NHL action in Montreal on Thursday November 24, 2016. (Pierre Obendrauf / MONTREAL GAZETTE)
Carolina coach Bill Peters challenged the goal, claiming that Plekanec was offside when he carried the puck into the offensive zone.
“I looked at the replay and it was close,” said Pacioretty. “To tell you the truth, I thought he was offside.”
Shaw scored the Canadiens’ first goal on a feed from Charles Hudon.
“Davey (Desharnais) made a great play to keep the puck and he chipped it to Charlie,” said Shaw. “I drove to the net and he put it right on my tape. If I had missed that I’d be pretty upset with myself.”
Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mark Barberio during warmup before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Montreal on Thursday November 24, 2016.
Mark Barberio made his season debut on defence, played 15:15 and blocked three shots while his partner, Greg Pateryn, had a game-high six hits.
“You step out on that ice right before the game, no matter who you are you get chills,” said Barberio. “It’s a great feeling and great to get the victory.”
“I was a little nervous at the start. Even if I’ve played some games in the league, you get the call-up there’s always a few nerves that set in,” he added. “But I felt as the game went on I just settled into my game, just played my game, played hockey and the butterflies just flew away.”
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