Roderick Brind'amour flags Canadiens power play as Game 1 concern
roderick brind'amour said the Montreal Canadiens’ power play is a definite concern for the Carolina Hurricanes entering Game 1 on Thursday night. Montreal arrives with 13 power play goals in these playoffs, the most of any team, and Carolina’s coach singled out the unit’s skill and timing after the Hurricanes rolled through the first two rounds.
Brind'Amour on Montreal's unit
Brind'Amour did not talk around the matchup. He named Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slakovsky, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson as the group that has him watching closely, calling them elite and in sync.
“They're been dynamic. They've got dynamic players. You're throwing all five of those guys in their own right are elite at what they do, and then you put them together in those roles, and I think they feed off each other really well” — Rod Brind'Amour said while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.
He tightened the point in a second remark. “You just watch, they're in sync. At the end of the day, power play is about skill and they have it. That's a definite concern.”
Canadiens bring 13 goals
The concern has a number behind it. Montreal’s 13 power play goals lead all playoff teams, which gives the Canadiens a clear special-teams edge entering the Eastern Conference Finals and puts pressure on Carolina’s penalty kill from the opening puck drop.
That edge comes after Montreal defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the second round earlier this week to advance to the semifinals. The Canadiens did not arrive as a passive opponent; they reached this round with a power-play total that has already separated them from the rest of the field.
Hurricanes' 8-0 start
Carolina enters Game 1 with a different kind of number next to its name. The Hurricanes became the first team since 1987 to go 8-0 through the first two rounds, and they outscored their opponents 24-10 in that stretch.
That record gives Brind'Amour’s team a strong base, but the matchup now shifts to whether Montreal’s top unit can turn its playoff form into the one area that has the coach on alert. For Carolina, the next test starts with one thing already clear: the Canadiens’ power play is not being treated as a side note.
