"Here We Go Again?": 2025-26 Postseason Round 3, Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens

After a million years of waiting, the Carolina Hurricanes finally got back on the ice for something other than practice. It's time for the Eastern Conference Finals to begin, and the Canes have a few demons they need to exercise. The Montreal Canadiens have been through a lot to get to this point, while the Canes have dreamt of this moment for the last 12 days. The Canes are rolling with the same group they've trusted for most of the postseason, trying to find a way to stop Montreal's top contributors after struggling to do so during the regular season. The Lenovo Center was rocking as the Caniacs hoped this year would finally be the year. It would all start with a good Game 1.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (0:33)- Seth Jarvis (2) (Andrei Svechnikov (3) & Sebastian Aho (2)

MTL (1:00)- Cole Caufield (5) (Juraj Slafkovsky (6) & Nick Suzuki (10))

MTL (4:04)- Phillip Danault (2) (Alexandre Carrier (5))

MTL (8:11)- Alexandre Texier (4) (Phillip Danault (6) & Kaiden Guhle (7))

MTL (11:32)- Ivan Demidov (3) (Alex Newhook (3) & Jake Evans (7))

2nd Period

CAR (2:46)- Eric Robinson (1) (William Carrier (1))

3rd Period

MTL (7:05)- Juraj Slafkovsky (5) (Nick Suzuki (11) & Cole Caufield (6))

MTL (17:32-EN)- Juraj Slafkovsky (6) (Nick Suzuki (12))

My Thoughts

If you were discouraged by the Hurricanes' performance on Thursday night, I don't blame you in the slightest. All night, they looked like a disjointed team trying to get back into the flow of playoff hockey. It's almost as if they've been off almost 2 weeks. Now, that can't completely excuse the lack of defensive structure that killed them in the first period. They were genuinely awful when defending in transition. Every pass the Canadiens made was connecting because there was always an open man against the Canes' defense. They overcommitted to certain players, focused too much on the puck, and left their goalie out to dry. Their four goals in the first period were a missed assignment that left a man wide open in front of the net, a breakaway, a one-timer between the dots, and a breakaway. Even the fifth goal in the third period was a one-on-one that ended terribly for the Canes. Frederik Andersen has been outstanding this postseason, but not even he could do anything to stop them.

One thing that the Hurricanes couldn't afford was for the Canadiens' top line to be dangerous at 5-on-5. Allowing a goal a minute into the game with all three forwards recording a point is not part of the game plan. Each member of the trio had two points at even strength, with Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki adding another point with the net empty. Meanwhile, the Canes' top line scored the first goal of the game, with all three earning a point, and then they went quiet for the rest of the night. The first round of the top line vs. top line.battle goes, decisively, to Montreal. They might not have been very noticeable during the second period, but they made their presence felt in the first and third.

As for the positives, they might be few and far between, but they're worth mentioning. The first two shifts were very good from the Stankoven and Aho lines, with the latter scoring a goal. The penalty kill didn't get a ton of work, with the teams ensuring they took someone to the box with them more often than not. Both teams had two power plays in the game, though only one last the full two minutes for each team. Neither side looked particularly good on the man advantage. Lastly, I thought the fourth line was the Canes' most consistent and noticeable. They finally earned the goal they've been starved of for two full rounds. It came after a Montreal shot hit the post, giving William Carrier a lane to send Eric Robinson on a breakaway. He'd come so close on numerous chances, so seeing one go into the net was a good sign.

If you're counting out the Hurricanes because they lost this game, that's your prerogative. I'm not there yet. The Canes have never won Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, even when they've won the series in the past. The real concern will be if they go down 2-0. At that point, we might need to start preparing for another long summer of non-stop talking points that have been prevalent for years and years. My concern level is about a 3 out of 10, but there's room for that to move higher. I urge everyone to simmer down and not blow this one out of proportion. Save those opinions for Game 2.

Around the League

Colorado-Vegas: The Golden Knights struck first blood in the Western Conference Finals, scoring twice in the second period and holding onto a lead despite a big push from the Avalanche in the third to win Game 1, 4-2. (VGK 1-0)

Next Up: Game 2 will be on Saturday night at the Lenovo Center, where the Canes will try to even the series before it moves to Montreal. Games 3 and 4 will be north of the border on Monday and Wednesday.