Recap: Ward, Hurricanes Blank Habs

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens for the second time in a week and completed the season series sweep for the second time in franchise history with a 2-0 victory at PNC Arena.
Brett Pesce got the Canes on the board in the second period, and Brock McGinn extended Carolina's lead with just over five minutes left in regulation. Cam Ward made 27 saves in his second shutout of the season, helping the Canes sweep the season series against Montreal for the first time since 2005-06.
Here are five takeaways from tonight's game.

One
A week ago, the Hurricanes and Canadiens skated in a back-and-forth, high-scoring 6-5 affair. The Canes left town with two points in a regulation win, though it might not have been the prettiest.
Tonight's game was the complete opposite of that: it was a tight-checking, grind-it-out type of game, a style the Hurricanes are becoming increasingly comfortable playing.

"It wasn't a game where first save wins. Totally different game," Ward joked. "It wasn't pretty in Montreal, but we walked away with two points. That's the thing at this point of the year: you want to play really well, but sometimes they don't ask how, just get it done. Points are very valuable. Tonight was a lot more of a gutsy game. Not a whole lot of room both ways, really. The margin for error is so small now that you have to be dialed in and sharp at all times."
Two
Ward's stat line wasn't particularly noteworthy in Montreal - the important thing is the "1" in the W column - but tonight, it was sparkling clean. Ward stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn his first shutout against the Canadiens in 36 career games.
"He was unbelievable. He was the best player on the ice, by far," Pesce said. "If it wasn't for him, it could have been a different story."
"When we needed him, Wardo was there," head coach Bill Peters said. "He was big tonight, for sure."

The Hurricanes' defense was positioned well and hard on pucks in the first period, as they held the Canadiens without a shot until the clock read 5:12. Montreal would make a little bit of a push after that - a low bar to clear considering the first 15 minutes of the period - but Ward and the Hurricanes held strong both then and in the remainder of the game.
"I've always had confidence in him ever since I came here a few years ago. He's a world-class goaltender," Pesce said. "He really plays the puck well, which is huge for the D-men especially. He's fun to be around. He's a great veteran."
"I'm having fun with it," Ward said. "Mike Bales has been real good for me. Scott Darling has been great for me. We're supporting one another and trying to help this team win."
Three
In his 43rd game of the season, Pesce found the back of the net for his first goal - not that it was weighing on him or anything.
"I'm thankful it went in. it's been in the back of my mind, for sure, especially in the middle of the season," Pesce said. "It was great traffic. We needed that one."

Off a faceoff win by Marcus Kruger, Pesce wound up and fired from the blue line. Joakim Nordstrom was providing traffic in front, and the puck might have bounced in off the Canadiens' defender jostling with him.
"It was a real good faceoff win by those guys," Peters said. "Nordy is where you need to be to provide some traffic in front of Price."
Four
McGinn's eighth goal of the season provided some much-needed separation for the Hurricanes coming down the stretch in the third period. It was a well-executed sequence that began with the Canes winning a faceoff at center ice, getting the puck deep, chasing it and retrieving it. Justin Williams centered to McGinn, who got just enough on the one-timer to smack it past Price and stretch the lead to 2-0.

"I think we've grown," Peters said. "We've had some leads and had some scenarios we've been in similar to this. We're much more composed and mature in those situations, and that's a very positive sign."
Five
The Hurricanes have now won three straight games - two straight to begin this crucial eight-game homestand - and continue to close in on an Eastern Conference wild card spot. At 24-19-8 with 56 points, the Hurricanes are just on the outside of the cut line with another Eastern Conference match-up on deck for Friday.
"It's fun to be able to compete and know that there is something on the line. We're trying to make it. It's been long overdue. We know that. But we have the team in this locker room, we believe, to get us over the hump and get us in there," Ward said. "It's not going to be easy, just like tonight. Montreal, I thought, played pretty well. You're going to find every game is going to be difficult and tight down the stretch. I think we've learned through our experiences early in the year how to handle leads."
Up Next
The Hurricanes host the Detroit Red Wings on the tail end of their 10th back-to-back set of the season on Friday night.
"It's crunch time. All you have to do is look at the standings. We've preached that this is our playoffs," Ward said. "We've got a lot of games here at home. You want to build some momentum and get some fans into the building and reward them with some wins."