Canadiens Seek Reset Against Hurricanes 2-1 in Match Canadiens Ce Soir

Match Canadiens ce soir means Montreal has one job: avoid a third straight loss while trailing the Hurricanes 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Final. The Canadiens need three of the last four games to reach the Stanley Cup Final, and they are doing it after two consecutive seven-game series earlier in the playoffs.

Martin St-Louis au Centre Bell

Martin St-Louis said Tuesday, "On tire de l’arrière, mais on n’est pas morts". He added, "On continue."

At the Centre Bell on Tuesday morning, Oliver Kapanen and Arber Xhekaj practiced with the reserves. It appears St-Louis will make no changes to his lineup for Game 4.

Shot totals against Carolina

Montreal’s recent numbers are thin. The Canadiens were limited to 12 shots on goal in one of the last two games and 13 in the other, while Carolina led 123-87 in shot attempts over that stretch.

The Hurricanes also held a 55-33 edge in five-on-five scoring chances across those two games, and they had an 11-day break before the start of the series. That gap has shown up in the opening three games, with Montreal allowing the first goal each time.

Josh Anderson and Jake Evans

Josh Anderson pointed to cleaner execution as the response. "Il faut être plus prévisibles, être sur la même page et exécuter les jeux". He also said, "C’est ce que nous devons faire; jouer avec beaucoup plus de rythme qu’on l’a fait jusqu’à maintenant. Et ça commence par aller vers le nord, aller à la chasse."

Jake Evans said the low shot totals have started in the forecheck. "Une grosse raison pour laquelle on n’obtient pas une tonne de lancers et qu’on ne passe pas beaucoup de temps en zone offensive, c’est qu’on n’est pas efficaces en échec-avant en ce moment". He added, "On ne place pas les rondelles dans les bons endroits et on n’utilise pas l’un de nos principaux atouts qui est la vitesse."

Montreal has already survived two seven-game series against Tampa Bay and Buffalo, so the margin for error is gone. The Canadiens need a cleaner start, and they need it now.