ANOTHER ROAD LOSS FOR HABS
Offence a no-show in 2-0 defeat
HURRICANES 2, HABS 0
Anyone expecting a rematch of last week’s wide-open scoring fest between the Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes had to be disappointed by the action in the game Thursday night at PNC Arena. Goaltenders Carey Price and Cam Ward were centre stage as the Hurricanes completed a sweep of their three-game series against Montreal with a 2-0 victory. Ward made 27 saves for his second shutout of the season, while Price made 28 stops. The Hurricanes’ third consecutive win allowed Carolina to climb into ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, only two points out of the final wild-card spot.
Hurricanes open scoring: Carolina took a 1-0 lead when defenceman Brett Pesce scored his first goal of the season with a shot from the blue-line at 2:43 of the second period. Marcus Kruger won a faceoff against Byron Froese in the Canadiens’ zone and Elias Lindholm relayed the puck to Pesce. The Canadiens had two chances to tie the score on a power play late in the second period. Brendan Gallagher put the puck behind Ward during a scramble in front, but the whistle had blown before the goal. A minute later, Ward made a glove save on Charles Hudon’s shot through traffic. Carolina also had an apparent goal called back after a video review in the third period. Brock McGinn provided Carolina with an insurance goal when he scored at 14:51 of the third. McGinn was alone in front of the net to convert a set-up from Justin Williams.
Slow start for Montreal: The Hurricanes and Canadiens had seven shots apiece in the scoreless first period, but those figures don’t tell the entire story. The Canadiens didn’t get their first shot on goal until 14:48 when Victor Mete tested Cam Ward with a shot from the faceoff circle. Montreal won only three of 11 faceoffs in the period.
Nothing special: The Hurricanes had scored 16 power-play goals in 17 games but they came up empty on three power plays. The Canadiens had only one power play, but put four shots on goal. Tough sell in the Triangle: Thomas Dundon, the Hurricanes’ new majority owner, is pulling out all the stops in an effort to boost attendance at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes have launched a Fanuary promotion, which features $5 beers and five concession items for $3 each. There’s also a package that includes tickets for the first nine home games in February for $97. The Hurricanes rank 30th in the NHL in attendance with an average turnout of 12,868, which represents less than 70 per cent of capacity. A Super weekend: The Canadiens return to the Bell Centre for the traditional Super Bowl weekend afternoon games. On Saturday, the Canadiens face the Anaheim Ducks (1 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN690 Radio), while the Ottawa Senators provide the opposition Sunday (1 p.m., Sportsnet, RDS, TSN-690 Radio.