The Hurricanes were 8-0 in the playoffs. Two sweeps, no drama, 12 days of rest, the works. Then Montreal walked into Lenovo Center and put up 4 goals in the first 12 minutes on the way to a 6-2 beatdown. So much for the coronation.
Juraj Slafkovsky had 2 goals and an assist in Game 1. Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault each chipped in a goal and a helper, Nick Suzuki dropped 3 assists, and Jakub Dobes turned aside 25. Frederik Andersen, who had been a wall through the first two rounds, got pulled after letting in 5. Rod Brind'Amour didn't sugarcoat it postgame: "Our top guys had tough nights. That's not going to work this time of year." He also floated the idea that the 12-day layoff had his team "a little off."
That's the part Carolina has to fix in 48 hours. Jaccob Slavin finished minus-4. Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake were each minus-3. The Aho-Jarvis-Svechnikov line generated chances and converted nothing. You can blame rust for one night. You can't blame it for two.
The market still believes in the Canes. Pinnacle has Carolina at -197 on the moneyline and -1.5 on the puck line at +125, with the total sitting at 6. That's a sportsbook saying Game 1 was a blip — home ice, better goaltending, regression on the way. Maybe. Montreal is also 7-2 on the road this postseason, so the "they can't do it twice in Raleigh" narrative has a hole in it.
- Injured ReservePatrik Laine RW — Laine (abdomen) is practicing Saturday in a non-contact jersey, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
The Canadiens don't need to win this one to flip the series — they already did that Wednesday. But stealing both road games to start the Eastern Final would put Carolina in a spot no one in that locker room imagined a week ago. If the Hurricanes' stars show up and Andersen looks like himself again, this is a series. If not, Montreal is 2 wins from the Stanley Cup Final and the 8-0 start ages like milk.