Marc Dumont
As the Montreal Canadiens prepare to face the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Final, it has become clear that the Habs will have their hands full dealing with a very talented lineup.
Our 5v5 analysis revealed that while the Canadiens beat the Hurricanes in all three regular-season meetings, the numbers suggested the scoreline was quite flattering towards Martin St-Louis’ team.
This doesn’t mean the Hurricanes will win yet another quick series, completing three sweeps in a row, but it does tell us the Habs will have to be firing on all cylinders to win their third consecutive underdog series.
Part of the equation is the 5v5 battle, but that ignores the importance of having a solid powerplay against a team that does not allow many goals.
And let’s be clear, Carolina is very stingy when it comes to defending their net. They play a stalwart brand of defence that led to them being the team that allowed the fewest shots against (5v5) in the regular season.
Powerplay Improvements
The Habs finished the regular season with the 10th most efficient powerplay, but they were really working off quality rather than quantity.
They’ve improved their overall shot rate in the playoffs, which has lead to more high-quality scoring chances, not to mention slightly more expected goals, and additional goals.
It’s an important step forward, because if we’re being honest, their shot rate was a little low in the regular season. This improvement may not have led to a chasmic gap in goals scored, but it did solidify one of the most important aspects of their game, which should help them moving forward.
Zachary Bolduc gives the #GoHabsGo a 2-0 lead!!!!! pic.twitter.com/5RZRLvucwi
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 19, 2026
The powerplay has also offered a lifeline to Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, three players who have had a very hard time scoring at 5v5.
To be perfectly fair, it’s not necessarily a matter of the first line failing to provide an honest effort at 5v5, but rather, opposing teams focusing on them to the point that it allows the rest of the lineup to stretch its legs.
It’s been the driving force behind the timely depth scoring which has floated the Canadiens’ offence when they needed it most.
Zachary Bolduc gives the #GoHabsGo a 2-0 lead!!!!! pic.twitter.com/5RZRLvucwi
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 19, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes Angle
While the Canadiens have been better on the powerplay, the Hurricanes have been borderline perfect on the penalty kill.
They’ve been shorthanded on 40 occasions in the playoffs, and they’ve only allowed two goals while on the penalty kill, a 95% efficiency. To make matters more interesting, they’ve also scored a shorthanded goal.
The Canadiens will have to be at their best to solve the Hurricanes penalty killing excellence, though the break in the schedule may play in Montreal’s favour. The Hurricanes have been off since May 9, and their penalty kill was just 80.5% in the regular season. There’s a chance the long layoff has dulled Carolina’s knives, though it would be a mistake to count on this heading into the series.
Simply put, even if Montreal does have a good powerplay, they’ll have to improve it by leaps and bounds to have a positive impact in their series versus the Hurricanes.
And much like all other hockey issues, an uptick in shots and high-danger scoring chances is in order.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics via Natural Stat Trick.
