RALEIGH — Bobby Sanguinetti knew he made a mistake and it proved to be costly for the Carolina Hurricanes.

But for Sanguinetti and the Canes’ other young defensemen, it’s not so much the mistake itself as it is quickly putting it out of mind while learning from it and not repeating it.

On Monday in Montreal, the Canes and Canadiens were caught up in a scoreless game at the Bell Centre. Early in the third period, Habs rookie forward Alex Galchenyuk carried the puck toward the goal, made a quick move inside past Sanguinetti and put a shot on net.

Galchenyuk didn’t score. But Brandon Prust did on the rebound, giving Montreal a 1-0 lead in what would be a 3-0 victory that ended the Canes’ three-game winning streak.

“No one wants to get scored on but there are going to be mistakes,” Sanguinetti said Tuesday. “The way the game is, there are a bunch of mistakes out there and if you dwell on it, it’s not going to help your game.

“It’s something I’ve continued to work on and probably will for a while. It’s just something where you have to get to the mindset where every shift you get better. If you get scored on, take your five seconds to be (ticked) off and come back to the bench and refocus.”

On the Galchenyuk play, Canes assistant coach Dave Lewis said he would have liked for Sanguinetti, who was playing his 18th career NHL game, to keep leverage on the inside and force Galchnyuk wide – take away the “good ice,” as Lewis likes to say, and force Galchenyuk to the “bad ice.”

“In a game a defenseman is exposed because he’s usually the last line of defense,” said Lewis, who works with the Canes’ blueliners. “The important thing, I find, is how they respond the next shift or three and four shifts after that. That’s something the young guys struggle with.”

How did Sanguinetti respond?

“He put it aside,” Lewis said. “Maybe earlier in the season he might not have. We talked about it and he totally understands the situation. It’s a marginal thing – it’s 2 or 3 feet. But in those two or three feet you dictate where the attacking player goes, if you can. That’s another thing they have to learn, too.”

Sanguinetti, 24, was paired Monday with Michal Jordan, 22, who was recalled last week from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL and played his first two NHL games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and then the Canadiens.

Justin Faulk, who played a career-high 30 minutes, 33 seconds on Monday, is just 20 but now has 79 career NHL games. Defenseman Jamie McBain, 24, has 177 games of NHL experience.

That’s a relatively young group. All are at different stages – in their careers and on the learning curve.

“It’s such a fast game and obviously so much faster than any other level of hockey,” Faulk said. “The longer you’re in the league you start to learn tendencies and it starts to come around.”

Faulk recalled as a rookie last season confronting such players as Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“There was a bit of a ‘wow factor,’ ” Faulk said. “Getting over that is big for confidence.”

Sanguinetti noted the Feb. 9 game in Philadelphia when he seemed a bit overwhelmed. He had a minus-3 rating in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers, saying, “I let it get to me and it affected my game.”

After being a healthy scratch the next two games, Sanguinetti was back in the lineup Thursday against the Leafs and had a solid game in a 3-1 victory. He was minus-2 Monday against the Habs.

“Everything happens quick and in those tight games one mistake can make the difference in the game,” Canes coach Kirk Muller said Tuesday. “(Galchenyuk) is a good player and made a good play. One slight little mistake of containing your guy and that’s all it is. But everything they experience now is one more feather in the hat of learning stuff.”

Often, in the NHL, the hard way.

Alexander: 919-829-8945