The Canadiens shocked the Hurricanes with four goals in the first period, then followed up with two more markers in the third. Juraj Slafkovsky scored both in the final frame, and with linemates Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, combined for eight points. The TSN Hockey panel has more on their play, the strong performance of Jakub Dobes and more.
Juraj Slafkovsky lit the lamp twice, and picked up an assist in Montreal's Game 1 win, earning him Ultimate Performer Powered by Stihl honours for Thursday night.
Coming into Game 1, Canadiens head coach Martin St Louis said he would be shocked if Carolina was rusty. Well not only did Montreal get a strong start, but the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky got involved immediately, How did Montreal make the most of the situation? TSN's Claire Hanna is joined by Arpon Basu with more.
Juraj Slafkovksy scored twice in the third period to compliment Montreal's four first period goals as the Canadiens handed the Hurricanes their first loss of the playoffs. Jakub Dobes stopped 25 shots in the victory. MTL leads series 1-0.
The TSN Hockey panel discusses whether rest or rust will play a factor in Game 1 of the ECF after the Hurricanes' 11-day layoff, how important the Lane Hutson/Jaccob Slavin matchup will be, and which of Montreal or Carolina has the upper hand between the pipes.
After missing the Avalanche's Game 1 loss with an undisclosed injury, Cale Makar was back on the ice for their optional skate on Thursday. Head coach Jared Bednar had no update on his status for Game 2, but shared his thoughts on his d-core's performance in the loss.
Wayne Gretzky talks to Pat McAfee about how John Tortorella has helped spark the Golden Knights’ playoff run.
ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins joins The Pat McAfee Show to predict who he thinks will win Game 1 between the Canadiens and Hurricanes tonight and decides to jump on the Habs bandwagon.
Montreal has won two straight series with Game 7 victories, while the Hurricanes have yet to lose a game in the playoffs with back-to-back series sweeps. The Athletic's Arpon Basu joins Claire Hanna to discuss the rest vs. rhythm debate heading into Game 1 of the ECF, what kind of adjustments the Habs will have to make against the Canes, and if Montreal is built to win a Stanley Cup right now.
After winning his lone Stanley Cup in 2008-2009 as a member of the Penguins, Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal discusses his long chase to capture another Cup, and his motivation to help the team accomplish the feat this year.
Carolina is 1-16 in its last four trips to the Eastern Conference Finals since winning the Stanley Cup in 2005-2006, including falling to Florida in five games last season. The Hurricanes share how eager they are to exorcise their ECF demons against the Canadiens.
Ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Hurricanes discuss the similarities they see in their game and the way the Canadiens play, and why they're expecting a tough against the Canadiens.
Noah Dobson has enjoyed a first-hand look at the development of Lane Hutson this season and he spoke about the work ethic and compete level of the second-year defenceman. Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was asked whether being left off Team USA's Olympic roster had any impact on Hutson and Cole Caufield.
Ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, Noah Dobson commented on the rest vs. rust debate from the Canadiens perspective while Kirby Dach spoke about how tight-knit and confident the Habs are right now.
Dylan Coghlan scored his first career playoff goal to get Vegas rolling, Carter Hart made 36 saves, and the Golden Knights opened the Western Conference Final by holding off the Avalanche on Wednesday night. VGK leads series 1-0.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his playoff-leading 10th goal of the postseason in Vegas' Game 1 win over the Avalanche, earning him Ultimate Performer Powered by Stihl honours for Wednesday night.
What was the difference in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final? How noticeable was Cale Makar's absence for the Avalanche? TSN Hockey analyst Martin Biron joins SportsCentre to discuss.
Is Jakub Dobes more trustworthy than Frederik Andersen in the Eastern Conference Final? Do the Canadiens need Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to contribute more than they have so far? Is Lane Hutson the best players on the ice in the series and have a chance to be a household name? OverDrive host Bryan Hayes shares his answers in this edition of Hot or Not.
Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Golden Knights the team confirmed on Wednesday. The team did not disclose the nature of the injury, but said the blueliner is day-to-day, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
The Canadiens have battled through two seven game series, and now face a Hurricanes team who swept both their opponents, and will have been resting 12 days when the series gets under way. Despite the opposite paths, the Habs say that they are feeling energized to play, and expect that Carolina has been practicing hard to prepare for them.
The Hurricanes haven't lost a game so far this post season, and are averaging a league best 1.25 goals against per game over that time. Understanding how difficult it will be to create, the Habs say that they need to work together and focus on their game and plan, not concern themselves with what Carolina is doing.
ADVERTISEMENT
