Recap: McElhinney, Canes Fend Off Canadiens

MONTREAL - Backed by a steady veteran in net, the Carolina Hurricanes staved off the Montreal Canadiens in a 2-1 victory.
Curtis McElhinney made 48 saves, and Trevor van Riemsdyk's pinball tally in the second period proved to be the game-winner.
Here are five takeaways from tonight's game.

One
Some nights, you need your goaltender to steal a victory, and that's exactly what the Hurricanes got from McElhinney, who matched a career single-game best with 48 saves.
"The win is all that matters. We got pretty fortunate tonight," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "It was probably the first game this year that was like that. We've had a couple of those go the other way against us, so now I know how that feels where the goalie just stole the game. We need that sometimes."
"We all kind of just jumped on Mac's back there," van Riemsdyk said. "He made some special saves. He stole that one for us."
A pair of saves in the first period were sharp and timely. First, it was McElhinney tracking the point shot of Brett Kulak. Andrew Shaw got a stick on the shot in the slot, but McElhinney was able to blocker the puck down and smother it for the whistle. Later, with his team up 1-0, McElhinney made a point-blank stop on Brendan Gallagher from the slot.

He also turned away 21 of the 22 shots the Canadiens dumped on goal in the third period. (And, by the way, the Canes are now 3-0-0 when being out-shot this season.)
"Especially in the third period, you know it's coming," McElhinney said. "Down 2-0, they're just throwing pucks at the net. They got one and a couple of other great looks, but we were able to hold them off."
"He was awesome. He's great to play in front of," van Riemsdyk said. "He's just so calm. Pucks seem to stick to him on those long shots, which makes it easier on us."

McElhinney, who is now 7-2-0 on the season, has won four consecutive starts and stopped 145 of 150 shots (.967 save percentage) in that stretch.
"Things are rolling pretty good right now for myself. Personally, I feel great in there," McElhinney said. "Got a couple huge defensive plays, especially in the second period. A couple lucky breaks. That's the way it goes some nights."
"He's a veteran. He's a pro. You can tell," Brind'Amour said. "He handles it. You could see that tonight. He was real calm in there. We were running around a little bit, and he settled it down. He was the difference in the hockey game."
Two
In his fourth game back from injury, Victor Rask tallied his first goal of the season to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. Jaccob Slavin let go of a shot from the point, and Rask was well-positioned to redirect the puck past Carey Price.

"That was our best line, and [Rask] was a big part of that," Brind'Amour said of the McGinn-Rask-Di Giuseppe trio. "I think that's going to help him now get his feet wet. It's time now to give him a little more, and I think he's ready for it."
Three
A fortuitous bounce doubled the Hurricanes' lead in the second period. Trevor van Riemsdyk was aiming to pass the puck across the ice to either Victor Rask in the slot or Brock McGinn cutting backdoor, but instead, the puck bounced in the net off Canadiens defensemen Victor Mete. The Canes will take it.

"I figured Price would push out hard on a rebound like that. It's pretty tough to beat him on a shot, so I was just trying to put it back-post," van Riemsdyk said. "I knew we'd have a little havoc there with Rasky in front and Ginner going back-door. I still don't know how it went in or whatever, but it went in. That's good."
In the third period, van Riemsdyk saved a goal with a strong stick play on the goal line. Jonathan Drouin attempted to stuff the puck in on a wrap-around, but van Riemsdyk's stick hugged the goal line, and the puck deflected up and out of harm's way.
"That's a big-time save at a critical point," McElhinney said.
"Did that end up hitting my stick? I kind of felt something nick me. I didn't know if it was the puck or not," van Riemsdyk said. "Desperation. Just stuck my stick there. … It was an extremely lucky break, but we'll take it."
Four
A scary moment in the first period when Max Domi and Jordan Staal collided knee-on-knee. Staal immediately grabbed at his knee and was slow to his feet. After skating off to the room during a break to be evaluated, he returned to game action a short time later in the first period. Exhale.
In the second period, Staal rocked Phillip Danault with a monster open-ice hit. Danault sought out No. 11 after a whistle soon after, but Staal just chuckled and said a few words not safe for print.
Five
Jake Bean made his NHL debut tonight, becoming the third player to do so for the Canes this season. Bean finished the night with a shot on goal in 8:07 of ice time.
"He was fine. He came in there and made a couple of nice plays," Brind'Amour said. "I know we didn't use him as much as he'd probably like, but it was a good first game for him."
Up Next
The Hurricanes host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, which is Hockey Fights Cancer Night at PNC Arena, before the team departs for a three-game trek through California to begin the month of December.