MONTREAL — There was nothing particularly outstanding about it, but Max Pacioretty’s goal, which was scored 14 seconds into the third period to give Montreal a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday, might have been the most important one of the Canadiens’ season to date.

It will be so significant, not only if it gets Pacioretty into a scoring rhythm, but if it also sparks linemates Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher, who both recorded assists on the play.

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All three players had done plenty of good together over the last stretch of games but none of it resulted in goals. Thursday’s game was Gallagher’s 15th without one, Plekanec is stuck on one in 21, and Pacioretty’s five puts him well off the pace he’s established throughout his career.

“Those guys are obviously going to be a huge part of our offence. Everyone knows that, it’s no secret,” said Canadiens forward Torrey Mitchell. “For them to score a goal like that hopefully gives them some confidence [so] they can keep it going.”

It had better.

The Canadiens, who have managed the NHL’s best record at 15-4-2 on the strength of notching 12 wins in 14 home games, are about to hit the road for five games against some of the league’s strongest teams.

The team will start in Detroit Saturday before facing off against the Blues in St. Louis next Tuesday, and then it’s off to California for games against the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings.

“It’s a trip that’s coming at the right time,” said Canadiens coach Michel Therrien in French. “It’s a big challenge awaiting us, and we’re playing against good teams. I’m eager to see how we’re going to fare.

“We’re playing with a certain confidence, which is important.”

It’s a confidence that might not be there for the Pacioretty line had the goal they scored been called back on Carolina’s challenge, which alleged the play was offside.

After a 30-second delay, the goal was deemed a good one, and as the cameras panned to Montreal’s bench you could see the relief on Pacioretty’s face.

It was a great goal for these three players, even if it didn’t look like it.

Gallagher got the puck along the right-hand boards, and he spun and found Plekanec in the slot with a pass. Plekanec whipped his slapshot wide of the net, but the rebound came out and was banked off goaltender Cam Ward’s skate by Pacioretty.

They had combined on many nicer plays over the last number of games, struck posts with quality shots and had goals snatched away by quality saves.

In the end, a good bounce was all it took.

“I had two solid shots tonight but didn’t hit the net,” said Plekanec. “It’s too bad we didn’t score earlier, we would feel better about ourselves. But I thought we played a solid game and fought hard. It wasn’t an easy game.”

It certainly wasn’t easy for the Canadiens against the NHL’s hottest team.

Strong defensive play had been at the root of a five-game winning streak for the Hurricanes, who started things off with 5-1 win over Washington on Nov. 12 and allowed only four goals total in wins over San Jose, Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto before stepping onto the ice at the Bell Centre for Thursday’s game.

The Canes left the Canadiens impressed.

“They’re a fast team, said Mitchell. “They were tough to play against in Carolina and again tonight.”

“They executed their game plan very well,” said Carey Price, who made 31 saves—17 of them before Pacioretty’s game-winner.

The Hurricanes had stymied the Canadiens through much of the first two periods.

Andrew Shaw broke through with a goal off a nice setup from Charles Hudon at the 12:08 mark of the first period, but Pacioretty’s line was just about the only one for Montreal to sustain any type of pressure in Carolina’s end before the third began.

“We had to focus on the process to getting back on track,” said Plekanec. “I thought we did a good job tonight. We put the puck behind [the defence], we had better support—you know it’s better when you have all three guys in there.

“We’ve got to carry that to the next game.”

The good thing for the line is that it carried momentum through the rest of the third period. It was threatening—Pacioretty hit the post with just under two minutes remaining—and it finished off the night with each player registering five shot attempts.

A goal for their efforts was certainly merited, and it can go a long way towards fixing one of the only issues the Canadiens have had through the first quarter of the season.