RALEIGH, N.C. -- Goalie Curtis McElhinney is still trying to prove to his new teammates that he can be an asset to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They saw some of the value Sunday night.

McElhinney secured his first shutout as a member of the Maple Leafs in a 4-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

"Every opportunity I get is an opportunity to prove it," McElhinney said.

McElhinney, who joined the Maple Leafs last month when he was claimed off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets, made 37 saves in his sixth appearance with Toronto. His record is 3-3 with his new team.

Connor Brown scored twice and Auston Matthews and Jake Gardner also found the net for Toronto, which won for just the second time in six games.

"When you get big stops like that (early in the game), we were really able to get our feet under us," Brown said of McElhinney's contributions.

McElhinney is primarily the backup to Frederik Andersen. He said he understands his role.

"It's my job," he said. "To be a backup is something (I understand). It's pretty clearly laid out for me."

Toronto improved to only 5-8-1 in the second games of outings on back-to-back days. To Gardner, it was clear who got the team in a good mindset.

"It started with our goalie," Gardner said. "Back-to-backs haven't been our strong suit."

McElhinney's most-recent shutout came Jan. 2, 2014.

"I've spread them out a little bit," the 33-year-old said.

The Hurricanes were shutout victims for the third time this season, all coming within the past month.

Carolina goalie Cam Ward stopped 20 of 24 shots before he was replaced by Eddie Lack for the final 11-plus minutes.

The Hurricanes are winless in their last four games (0-3-1). They scored a total of three goals in those games.

"You've got to stick with it," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "You're doing something right if you're generating quality chances."

McElhinney posted his fifth career shutout, stopping 15 shots in the first period and 16 in the second period.

Carolina held a 31-20 edge in shots through two periods, but Toronto was ahead 2-0.

"I thought we were fine through 20 (minutes) and through 40 we could have had one there," Peters said.

The Maple Leafs seemed to get better as the game went on.

"We needed a good start," Brown said. "Even though we didn't score in the first (period), we were able to continue to build off that."

Brown scored just 67 seconds into the second period, taking a pass from left winger James Van Riemsdyk and never altering his stride while delivering the puck past Ward. It was Brown's 13th goal of the season but his first in eight games.

Nine minutes later, Matthews converted for his team-high 28th goal of the season. The 19-year-old has five goals in an eight-game span.

Gardner scored with 13:50 remaining in the third period, with his shot from the left point making it through a screen.

Less than two minutes later, Brown was in business again by tipping in Van Riemsdyk's pass in what was a similar-looking sequence to the game's first goal.

"I tried to build my speed as much as possible and (Van Riemsdyk) put two on my tape," said Brown, who had his second two-goal game of the season.

Carolina lost for the first time in seven games this season wearing its alternate home black jerseys.

NOTES: The Hurricanes recalled F Phil Di Giuseppe from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL after losing F Ty Rattie, who was reclaimed by the St. Louis Blues on waivers. Rattie had two assists in five games with the Hurricanes since joining the organization on Jan. 4. ... Di Giuseppe had a team-high seven shots Sunday night. ... Toronto C Mitchell Marner, who shared the team lead with 48 points, missed his second game in a row with an upper-body injury after playing in the team's first 56 games. ... The Maple Leafs are home for their next three games, beginning Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets. ... The Hurricanes play the middle game of their five-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.