Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (9-6) will face the Carolina Hurricanes (8-1) in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
There’s no doubt about it, the Habs got off to a dream start in the first game of the series, securing an important 6-2 underdog win over the Hurricanes.
As per tradition, it took a little adversity to get things rolling on Montreal’s end, and Carolina was happy to oblige. The Hurricanes quickly established a 1-0 lead just 33 seconds into the first period.
That’s when the Habs decided to take over, scoring four times in roughly nine minutes, with all four goals coming at even-strength. To make things more interesting, the Canadiens absolutely dominated the Hurricanes in the third period, limiting them to zero quality chances through 20 minutes of play.
This, combined with Juraj Slafkovsky‘s fantastic goal, was enough to secure a well-deserved win in Game 1, but it won’t make things easier heading into the second game of the series.
Expect the Hurricanes to come out of the gate flying, especially now that they’ve removed the many layers of rust that accumulated during the long layoff between playoff rounds.
If the Habs are to return to Montreal with a two-game advantage, not only will they have to deal with an uptick in effort from their opponents, they’ll need the first line to maintain their momentum.
In Game 1, Montreal’s top line controlled the majority of the high-danger scoring opportunities, a situation that happened with high frequency in the regular season, but was hard to come by in the playoffs.
If Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield can continue to score at 5v5, the rest of the lineup should provide the secondary and tertiary offence necessary to make it a very interesting series.
BIG GOAL! Cole Caufield immediately responds for the #GoHabsGo.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 22, 2026
Tie game 1-1. pic.twitter.com/LV26RWbBRg
Potential Changes
Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis does not reveal his lineup changes in the playoffs, which means we will have to wait until the pre-game warm-up to confirm any modifications.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Jake Evans – Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier – Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson
Zachary Bolduc – Oliver Kapanen – Kirby Dach
Mike Matheson – Alexandre Carrier
Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble – Kaiden Guhle
Jakub Dobes
Jacob Fowler
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson
Jacob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen
Brandon Bussi
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Hurricanes Game 2 Of The Eastern Conference Final
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, May 23, 2026, will be aired on CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
