"Broom'd": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 73: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens

The Hurricanes already got a good result this weekend, beating the Devils last night, 5-2. They played a very good game. However, the one everyone had circled was this one between two teams playing back-to-back. The Canadiens won last night, too, beating Nashville, 4-1, behind a dominant effort from their second line. For the Canes, there was a ton on the line. It was a chance to strengthen its division lead, shrink its magic number, and get a little revenge for Tuesday's loss in Montreal. For the Canadiens, this game meant plenty as well. With Buffalo and Tampa Bay refusing to allow them in the Top 2 of the Atlantic Division, the Habs needed to complete their season sweep of the Canes to continue their momentum into their clash on Tuesday with the Lightning.

Scoring Summary
1st Period
CAR (8:37-PP)- Andrei Svechnikov (26) (Seth Jarvis (32) & Sebastian Aho (49))
2nd Period
MTL (6:18)- Nick Suzuki (25) (Cole Caufield (33) & Lane Hutson (61))
MTL (17:32)- Cole Caufield (46) (Nick Suzuki (65) & Lane Hutson (62))
MTL (19:55-PP)- Nick Suzuki (26) (Juraj Slafkovsky (36) & Ivan Demidov (41))
3rd Period
None

My Thoughts
I'm going to keep this one brief because I've written the exact same recap of a game this week about the same two teams in a very similar game. The Carolina Hurricanes deserved better than what they got tonight. They also deserved to lose this game. Try figuring that one out. Their start was lightyears more dominant than the one in Montreal. The power play got the early goal once again. This time, it was Andrei Svechnikov's turn to bury a shot. The Canadiens didn't get a shot at Frederik Andersen until almost 12 minutes into the game, and they pushed once they earned a power play, but they couldn't make anything of it. The Hurricanes had the decided edge in just about every aspect of the game through 20 minutes, yet it felt like they should've gotten more.

Then, Montreal's Top 6 woke up and smelled blood in the water. Once they got rolling, there was no stopping them, and you know how the story goes from there. Usually, it's Cole Caufield finishing passes from Nick Suzuki, so seeing it go the other way felt like a weird change. Before you got used to it, though, Suzuki set up Caufield late in the period to restore balance to the universe. Then, a bad penalty in the offensive zone at the end of the middle frame proved to be the dagger. Suzuki scored again in the final seconds to make it 3-1, and it felt like that was the ballgame. I didn't really need to see the third period to know that Jakub Dobes was going to shut the door. He did, by the way.

It's a bit funny to go from watching the Canes sweep a season series last night to being on the other end of it tonight. I think the difference was that Carolina was by far the better team in all four games against the Devils this season, while I don't think I can say the same about the Canadiens in their three wins over the Hurricanes. The Canes handed them the first game on New Year's Day with some genuinely terrible puck management and goaltending. These last two came down to a handful of players and a pair of otherworldly goaltending performances by Dobes. I have to give the Canadiens all of the credit. I remember a time when it felt like a Carolina win over Montreal was a near certainty. That's not the case anymore. If anything, we need Montreal to stay this hot to avoid seeing them in the first round. That isn't what Canes fans want to see.

First Star of the Game: Andrei Svechnikov
Sometimes, it's as simple as scoring the only goal of the game. Andrei Svechnikov did exactly that for the Hurricanes tonight with one of his team-high five shots. We aren't reinventing the wheel with this selection.

Around the League
New York: The Islanders have a grueling start to their week ahead, facing the Penguins tomorrow night before battling the Sabres on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh: Life for the Penguins isn't much more fun either, battling the down-on-their-luck Red Wings on Tuesday night after tomorrow's tilt on Long Island.
Columbus: Despite owning a 3-0 lead early on home ice, the Blue Jackets watched it slip through their fingertips, settling for a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins.

Current Standings
Carolina: 98 Points (9 GR)
New York: 89 Points (8 GR)
Pittsburgh: 88 Points (9 GR)
Columbus: 87 Points (8 GR)

Next Up: The Hurricanes play their next three games against division foes. It starts with a home-and-home set with the Blue Jackets. They'll be in Columbus on Tuesday night before the Jackets make the trip to Raleigh on Thursday. On Saturday, Matthew Schaefer and the Islanders are in town for the first half of another back-to-back for the Canes. They conclude their weekend by flying to Ottawa after the game.

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