The Hurricanes host the Canadiens in Game 1 of the East Final on Thursday
By Matt Severance May 21, 2026 at 8:49 am ET • 4 min read
USATSI The old "rust vs. rest" argument is very much in play as the NHL's Eastern Conference Final starts tonight with the Hurricanes welcoming the Montreal Canadiens. It's an 8 ET puck drop from Raleigh, and Carolina's first game since way back on May 9. In addition, the Canes have played the minimum of eight games thus far, while the Habs have played the maximum of 14.
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Canadiens vs. Hurricanes same-game parlay
- Carolina Money Line
- Alt Under 7.5
FanDuel parlay: -120
This marks the third postseason matchup between the two since the Canes left Hartford and first since the 2006 conference quarterfinals. Carolina won the first two and is -275 on this series line with Montreal at +225. The favored exact result is Hurricanes in five at +320, but I believe it goes at least six. The Over/Under for total games is 5.5 and the Over is -145. That's a solid number, but I'll be going with the Hurricanes Game 1/series double at -125.
At least we know Carolina is healthy with all that time off, with the 11 days marking the second-most between playoff games in a postseason in NHL history (Montreal had a 12-day break in 1919), and it also had a week off in between Rounds 1 and 2. With sweeps of Ottawa and Philadelphia, the Hurricanes are the fifth team in Stanley Cup playoff history and first since the 1985 Oilers to start the postseason 8-0 or better. That Edmonton team holds the record of nine straight and won the Cup.
Carolina, though, is the first team to sweep the first two rounds of a postseason since the NHL switched to the best-of-7 format in 1987. To finish these playoffs at 16-0, the team is +6500 on a Yes-only prop at DraftKings. Can't say I recommend that. The Hurricanes practiced regularly through the break while getting "three or four days off," according to blue-liner K'Andre Miller.
Veteran Frederik Andersen was not the Hurricanes' main goalie in the regular season, as that was rookie Brandon Bussi, but Andersen has been the only guy in net in these playoffs. His eight-game win streak is tied for the second-longest by a goalie in postseason history behind nine in a row by Grant Fuhr for those 1985 Oilers. Andersen also has allowed two goals or fewer in all eight starts, tied for the second-longest streak to start a postseason ever. Clint Benedict with the 1928 Montreal Maroons holds the mark of nine in a row. Andersen remains a +400 second favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Both previous times the Hurricanes advanced to the Stanley Cup Final (2002 and 2006) they defeated the Canadiens in the playoffs. Current Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour was a player for the Hurricanes in both series. Dating to 2018-19, the Hurricanes have been eliminated in this round three times, including last season by Florida.
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It was so fun watching video on social media of large groups of people in Montreal celebrating the Canadiens' 3-2 overtime win in Buffalo in Game 7 on Monday. Alex Newhook had the game-winning goal, just like he did in Game 7 of Round 1 in Tampa. He's only the second player with multiple game-winning Game 7 goals in any postseason.
Rookie netminder Jakub Dobes, who struggled so badly in Game 6, improved to 6-0 after a loss in these playoffs compared to 1-6 after a win. The Habs are now 2-0 in road Game 7s in these playoffs, the sixth team to win multiple Game 7s on the road in a single postseason in league history.
Only two clubs ever have won the conference final after back-to-back seven-game series wins in the playoffs, and both happened in 2014 with the Kings and Rangers. Interestingly, a team from Montreal's Atlantic Division has won the Eastern Conference every season since 2019.
The Canadiens are only going to get better, as with an average age of 25.8, they are the youngest team to reach the conference final since the 1993 Canadiens – the last team from north of the border to win the Cup.
Special teams are obviously huge in the playoffs, and something will have to give on the power play. The Canadiens have scored a league-best 13 goals with the man advantage, scoring on 25% of chances. The Hurricanes killed 38 of the 40 power plays (95%) against them in the first two rounds and went 6-for-6 on 5-on-3s.
Montreal swept all three games in the regular-season series, outscoring Carolina 15-8. Dobes was in net for each and had a 2.67 GAA and .922 save percentage. Andersen was 0-2-0 with a 3.73 GAA and .806 save percentage in his two starts.
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This reminds me a bit of Cavs-Knicks Game 1. Cleveland was coming off a second Game 7 of these playoffs and New York was well-rested. The Cavaliers completely faded late as they were gassed. I'd expect similar for the Canadiens here. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.
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