Here are my three takeaways from the Montreal Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.
1 - Give the Hurricanes credit
The Carolina Hurricanes have completely imposed their style of play on the Canadiens and they’ve done it extremely well.
After a forgettable Game 1, Carolina got right back to what made them successful all season and throughout the playoffs. Their forecheck has been relentless, killing Montreal’s breakout timing and forcing turnovers under pressure.
The Canadiens’ defence has struggled making clean plays in its own zone and most of Montreal’s rush chances have been one-and-done opportunities.
Montreal did improve as the game went along, but it still wasn’t enough.
They were dominated in the first period. Carolina controlled the puck for most of the frame, generated the more dangerous offense and honestly could have been leading by more than one goal.
The Hurricanes almost seemed content playing the percentages, toying with Montreal in its own zone and keeping the play as far away from Frederik Andersen as possible.
At some point, people need to stop dismissing Rod Brind’Amour’s system and the way Carolina plays because it clearly works. This recipe has won a lot of playoff games.
Yes, Carolina has repeatedly fallen short in the Eastern Conference Final, but those losses came against the Florida Panthers and the reality is nobody has been able to solve Florida in the playoffs.
2 - Depth players showing up for Carolina
Carolina’s fourth line has been a major problem for Montreal in this series.
Eric Robinson, William Carrier and Mark Jankowski have all had an impact and once again contributed offensively in Game 3.
They forecheck hard, play heavy and are difficult to move around the net and along the boards. At the very least, something positive seems to happen every time they’re on the ice.
Carrier might be the most interesting story of the group. He was an important piece on Vegas’ Stanley Cup team in 2023 and Carolina specifically brought him in for this time of year to add more jam and physicality to the bottom six.
He’s also a Montreal kid who’s probably having the time of his life playing playoff hockey at the Bell Centre.
One of Montreal’s biggest strengths throughout these playoffs has been depth scoring and contributions throughout the lineup. So far in this series, slight edge to Carolina in that department.
3 - Dobes, Montreal’s saving grace
If not for Jakub Dobes, this game probably isn’t even close.
At times throughout these playoffs, Montreal has needed its goaltender to be its best player and that was definitely the case again in Game 3.
Carolina controlled long stretches of the game, but Dobes kept the Canadiens within striking distance.
He looked like he had Andrei Svechnikov’s number again, making a huge save on a one-timer in the first period before stopping him twice more in the second.
Dobes also quickly shut the door on a beautiful setup from Nikolaj Ehlers to Shayne Gostisbehere.
And those were only a few of the highlight-reel saves.
Carolina completely controlled the territorial side of the game and peppered Dobes with quality chances all night long.
The goals against were also the result of issues that have plagued Montreal at different points this season.
Kirby Dach had another rough defensive sequence on the opening Carolina goal when Shayne Gostisbehere was left unchecked after Dach dove toward the front of the net, but failed to come away with the puck.
Then later, netfront chaos and communication breakdowns between Phillip Danault and Alexandre Carrier left Taylor Hall alone in front with multiple whacks at the puck before finally putting it home.
For the winner, it took a perfect shot by Svechnikov and layers of bodies impeding Dobes from seeing it.
Part of Montreal’s problem right now is simply how much time Carolina is forcing them to spend in their own zone. It’s exhausting and over the course of a series it starts to wear players down physically and mentally.
If Games 2 and 3 are any indication of how the rest of this series is going to look, Montreal’s path to winning probably requires near-perfect goaltending from Dobes and Frederik Andersen eventually giving the Canadiens an opening at the other end.
