Morning Coffee: Habs humble Hurricanes in dominant Game 1 win

The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the most disrespected teams in the NHL since last summer.

A 100-to-1 longshot to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel, the Habs defied the odds to reach the NHL’s final four.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they proved once again that they can compete with anybody.

After a 12-day layoff that had hockey fans speculating about their readiness for the series opener, Seth Jarvis provided a spark for the Carolina Hurricanes with the opening goal just 33 seconds into regulation.

For a moment, it seemed like the veteran Hurricanes were rested and ready to rock a young and relatively inexperienced Canadiens side that was coming off a second consecutive seven-game series.

It didn’t take long for the Habs to extinguish that spark.

27 seconds after Jarvis scored, Cole Caufield responded for Montreal with his fifth of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Phillip Danault, Alexandre Texier, and Ivan Demidov all found the back of the net to stretch the Canadiens’ lead to 4-1 in the opening 11:32 of the first period.

It was Montreal’s second-fastest four-goal span to start a postseason game all-time and its fastest since Game 1 of a semi-final series against the Detroit Red Wings all the way back in 1958.

While the Hurricanes pushed back in the second period with a goal by Eric Robinson, Jakub Dobes stood tall again with 25 saves in his fourth straight road win.

Dobes, who now leads the NHL with an 11.9 Goals Saved Above Expected this postseason, joined Ron Hextall and Jordan Binnington as the only rookie goalies ever to win seven of their first nine road playoff games.

Juraj Slafkovsky added two more goals for the Canadiens in the third to seal the 6-2 win as a +168 underdog.

Montreal, which opened at +215 to win the series at FanDuel, is down to +104 to advance this morning.

Carolina is -210 to win Game 2 and -125 to advance.

In a best-of-seven series, the Game 1 winner has gone on to win the series 68 per cent of the time.

The Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche were both heavy favourites to advance prior to Game 1 losses.

Which favourite is more likely to bounce back?

Let’s set the stage for Game 2 in both conference finals in this Morning Coffee for Friday May 22^nd, 2026.

Habs Humble Hurricanes In Dominant Game 1 Win

The Hurricanes went 8-0 in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, outscoring their opponents 24-10.

After the Canadiens nearly matched the number of goals that Frederik Andersen had allowed this postseason in their Game 1 win, Carolina’s captain Jordan Staal admitted, “There wasn’t enough respect for them.”

While that is certainly true, it also might be a case where there was far too much respect for a Hurricanes side that has struggled to win the big one in recent seasons.

Carolina opened -265 to win the Eastern Conference Finals at FanDuel.

That number suggests a 72.6 per cent implied chance.

After a Game 1 loss, the Hurricanes are now 1-17 in their last 18 conference final games.

Carolina has lost 10 straight conference final home games – the longest home losing streak in the round before the Stanley Cup Final in NHL history.

Whether it was a lack of respect, rust, or something else, the Hurricanes are -210 to win Game 2 and -125 to win the series.

Maybe Carolina bounces back on home ice, but that’s a ton of pressure for a team that has underachieved at this level against a young, talented, confident Habs side.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche will also attempt to bounce back on home ice after a disappointing opener.

Vegas’ odds to advance were cut from +225 to +104 after an upset win in Game 1 on the road.

Colorado is -200 to win Game 2 and -125 to advance.

For my FanDuel Best Bet, I’ll bank on the bounce back.

As was the case with the Hurricanes, the Avalanche were coming off a long layoff entering Game 1 and it showed.

Still, Colorado nearly rallied from down three with a pair of goals in the third period of the 3-2 loss.

Carter Hart’s .947 save percentage and 2.07 Goals Saved Above Expected were the difference for Vegas.

While Scott Wedgewood has been inconsistent, so has a at went Golden Knights side that went seven games against the Utah Mammoth in the first round and six games against the Anaheim Ducks in the second round.

Colorado has won six straight following a loss, outscoring their opponents a combined 25-7 in those victories.

That streak includes a 5-2 Avalanche win over the Minnesota Wild after their only loss this postseason.

Colorado hasn’t lost two in a row since mid-March.

I’ll lock in the Avalanche to win in regulation at -120.

Hopefully, Colorado bounces back as a home favourite.

Have a great weekend, everyone!