RALEIGH, N.C. _ Make it three in a row for the suddenly surging Carolina Hurricanes.
The Canes topped the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 Friday at PNC Arena, getting another strong game from goalie Cam Ward and three goals in the third period.
Jeff Skinner started the scoring, and Teuvo Teravainen and Victor Rask also had goals as the Canes (6-6-4) earned another victory over a quality opponent. Carolina whacked the Washington Capitals, 5-1, on Saturday, then shut out the San Jose Sharks, 1-0, on Tuesday.
Ward, who notched his 24th career shutout in beating the Sharks, continued his stellar November play with 31 saves.
The Canadiens, with a game Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, decided not to start goalie Carey Price, turning instead to Al Montoya. It was the fifth time in the past six games that the Canes faced the backup goalie and they made the Habs (13-3-2) pay with the third-period rally.
Skinner's goal, his seventh, came when defenseman Ron Hainsey got off a shot from the point, the puck glancing off Skinner's skate and taking a wicked carom past Montoya.
Teravainen scored off a tip of a Hainsey shot, and Rask on a shot from the right circle to give the Canes a 3-1 lead.
Canes coach Bill Peters made a line change in the third, moving Teravainen on Rask's line with Elias Lindholm and moving Skinner to Jordan Staal's line with Sebastian Aho.
Rask assisted on Teravainen's goal and Hainsey finished with two assists for the Canes.
Andrew Shaw scored on a redirection with 4:31 left in regulation, making for a tense finish for Canes fans in the crowd of 12,101.
After a scoreless first period, the Canadiens took the lead on a contested goal in the second.
Defenseman Jeff Petry ripped in a shot from the right circle as Ward was knocked to the ice in the crease. Habs forward Daniel Carr fell into Ward after being sandwiched by Canes defensemen Noah Hanifin and Matt Tennyson.
Peters used his coach's challenge, claiming goaltender interference by Carr, but the goal counted and the Canes lost their timeout.
The Canes were hard-pressed to get shots on net in the first two periods, although Skinner had a couple of near-misses in the first period.
Skinner had two shots around the crease about nine minutes into the game, forcing Montoya to make a tough save. On a first-period power play, Skinner also tipped a Jaccob Slavin shot from the point.
Lee Stempniak fooled everyone with a shot from the right circle. The goal horn sounded and the crowd roared but the puck hit the side of the net.
