Road warrior Canadiens strike again: Grades from M…

Opening a conference finals series with a four-goal first period will grab attention. That early explosion also allowed the Montreal Canadiens to cruise to a 6-2 win Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

What made the Canadiens’ series-opening victory rather stunning was how Montreal did more in one game than most teams have achieved in a series against the Hurricanes.

Here’s how it all played out, and what it means for Game 2 of this series and beyond.

This was the Hurricanes’ worst performance this postseason. After taking a 1-0 lead within the first minute, Carolina allowed four straight goals to end the frame.

Carolina gave up just five goals total in its first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators and the same number in the second-round sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Hurricanes finished with a 61.9% shot-share in 5-on-5 play, according to Natural Stat Trick. But Jakub Dobes made 25 saves, and his teammates chipped in 30 blocks, a combination that added to the Hurricanes’ frustrations.

The Canadiens reached the conference finals in part because of how they’ve performed without having the puck. They entered this series with a 45.6% shot-share — the lowest of the four teams remaining. They’ve had to get comfortable facing teams that control the puck, which only enhances their need to be efficient whenever they have it.

Juraj Slafkovsky‘s third-period goal was a perfect example of that approach. Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle waited for a passing lane. He found Nick Suzuki in the neutral zone, and the Canadiens’ captain made a perfect pass to Slafkovsky, who pulled off a toe drag to create more space before giving Montreal a 5-2 advantage.

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Players to watch in Game 2

No goaltender had a better save percentage or goals-saved above average than Andersen going into the conference finals. So it was rather jarring that he allowed four goals in the opening frame.

It’s possible that his Game 1 performance could be viewed as a blemish in what has otherwise been one of the best postseason campaigns to this point. It didn’t help that Carolina’s defensive structure allowed 12 high-danger scoring chances, with eight of them coming in that first period.

There’s no shortage of options because the Canadiens had quite a few players who were vital to their Game 1 win. But Danault gets the nod because of his importance to the Canadiens’ overall approach. Yes, he scored the go-ahead goal in the first period and then set up what proved to be the game-winning goal later in the frame. Danault also blocked four shots — the most of any Canadiens forward — and logged three hits.

Getting that sort of two-way performance was instrumental against a Canes team that hogged the puck. Replicating that effort throughout the series could make him one of their most valuable players — and crucial if they’re going to advance.

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Big questions for Game 2

How do the Hurricanes bounce back from their worst playoff game of 2026?

It could come down to one of two things for the Hurricanes.

Can they figure out a way to translate their puck possession into goals? The Canadiens had more blocked shots than Dobes had saves. The Hurricanes must make adjustments to get more shots on Dobes instead of having them blocked by his teammates.

They also need more continuity in net from Andersen, and find a way to limit high-danger scoring chances.

Was this offensive breakout a one-off, or a sign of more to come?

Here’s the thing about scoring six goals against a team that had allowed only 10 through the first two rounds.

Perhaps the Canadiens found a successful blueprint to beat the Canes, considering how they found ways to generate more high-danger scoring chances despite having considerably less possession. As we saw in the previous series, Montreal can be opportunistic, taking full advantage of opponents’ mistakes.

Or this might be an outlier in a series where goals might be at a premium.