Canadiens Hurricanes: Montreal wins 6-2 after Carolina scores first
The canadiens hurricanes game flipped fast in Raleigh. Carolina scored in the opening minutes of Game 1, but Montreal answered with a 6-2 win in the Eastern Conference final.
That left the Hurricanes down immediately in the series and put Frederik Andersen back in the spotlight after a night in which Rod Brind'Amour said he had considered sitting the goaltender.
Brind'Amour on Andersen
Brind'Amour said after the game that he thought playing Andersen was the better call because he needs more action. Carter Hutton relayed the coach's view this way: "he considered it, but he also thought that it was good for him. He needs to get more action involved."
That decision matters because Carolina did not protect the early lead. Once Montreal pushed back, the game shifted away from the Hurricanes and into a result that put pressure on their response in Game 2.
Montreal's response
The Canadiens had not advanced to the third round since the 2021 COVID-impacted postseason, and they turned that history into a strong first step by erasing Carolina's opening goal. Cole Caufield and Ivan Demidov were part of the roster that helped Montreal finish the night with six goals.
Carter Hutton said the goal that really concerned him was the Juraj Slavkovsky goal, while he added that Jakub Dobes has had no blips in the radar. That combination gave Montreal a steadier look after Carolina opened the scoring first.
Slavin and Saturday
Tyler Yaremchuk said the last time Jacob Slavin was a minus-4 or worse in a hockey game was April 5, 2025, when he was minus-5 against the Boston Bruins. He also said Frederik Andersen makes him nervous for Saturday night, while adding that he was confident players like Slavin would not be that bad again.
The scoreline leaves Carolina with an immediate hole to climb out of in the Eastern Conference final. The Hurricanes got the first goal, but Montreal took Game 1 6-2 and left the pressure on Carolina's veteran core to answer quickly.
