The Montreal Canadiens handed the Carolina Hurricanes their first loss on home ice since March 29th, which also came against the team from la belle province. Not only did the Canadiens give the Hurricanes their first home loss since late March, but they also gave them their first of the postseason. The Hurricanes have rolled through the first two rounds, sweeping both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, but were left shocked after the opening game of the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina gave up more goals in Game 1 than they did in the entirety of their first or second round series. Montreal’s speed was too much for Carolina in the opening game, and they will be looking to build upon their 6-2 victory in Game 2.
Canadiens need to continue to bend but not break
The Canadiens play on whatever the opposing team gives them. If they see open ice or gaps in the opposing team’s defence, they will capitalize on it. However, if the opposing team ramps up the pressure, the Canadiens are just as comfortable defending as they are setting up for the power play. We have seen it in the previous two series and at points in Game 1, where the other team will have the Montreal stuck in their own zone, but the team can weather the storm and come back a couple of minutes later with a counterattack that they capitalize on. The Canadiens play whatever way is needed to win, and a lot of credit has to go to Martin St. Louis and his staff for having their team prepared for all kinds of different situations.
Montreal had the Hurricanes shell-shocked in Game 1, and Carolina will look to put the pressure on early to show that what happened last game was just a fluke. The first period could look a lot like what happened in the second period of Game 1, but if the Canadiens can handle the Hurricanes' onslaught, it will increase the doubt in their mind that has been a culmination of their shortcomings over their last couple of Eastern Conference Final appearances. The Hurricanes are 1-17 in their last 18 Eastern Conference Final games, and if the Canadiens can leave Carolina with a 2-0 series lead, they will only increase the pressure on the Hurricanes, who have years of shortcomings they are trying to fight and disprove.
Canadiens continue to roll on 5-on-5
The Canadiens were able to take down both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres without their first line playing at the top of their game, specifically on 5-on-5. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky had just three goals that did not come on the power play in the opening two rounds, and to beat a team that had been as dominant as the Hurricanes have been, they needed more from the trio. The Canadiens' first line was able to flip the switch in Game 1, with both Caufield and Slafkovsky scoring while 5-on-5, before the Slovakian winger added another into the empty net.
Montreal’s top line has done most of its damage on the power play during this playoff run, but Carolina was able to neutralize them on the man advantage in Game 1, and it did not even matter, with the Canadiens taking a commanding 4-1 lead after the first. Stylistically, these teams are not the same, but both these rosters are deep and are comfortable rolling all four offensive lines if they have to. The big difference is the high offensive potential the Canadiens top line can produce when they are on their game. Not to say Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov are not supremely talented players, but there is a gap in production, and if the Canadiens trio can continue to roll, the Hurricanes could be facing a reality that they are all too familiar with.
Dobes making big stops when it matters
Carolina’s goaltender, Frederik Andersen, despite conceding five goals, was not the problem for the Hurricanes. The Canadiens capitalized on board battles and used their transition game to catch the Hurricanes out of position, creating many odd-man rushes and breakaway opportunities. It is tough to blame the goaltender when he is left out to dry in his first game in nearly two weeks. At the same time, if your team is not playing the best, you need your goaltender to make a stop in one of those situations, something we have seen Jakub Dobes do throughout the playoffs.
There will be times when the Canadiens look like the best team in the NHL, and then five minutes later, they are stuck in their defensive zone trying to ward off a flurry from the opposing team, and often enough in these playoffs, Dobes is there to make the crucial stop. Whether it was a stop on a breakaway on Tage Thompson in round two, or the countless big stops he made in Game 7 in round one, when the Canadiens needed them all after winning the game with the fewest shots in playoff history, Dobes has been there when the team needed him most. With a series that has the potential to be a back-and-forth affair, the Canadiens do not need Dobes to make every save, but they will need him to make the timely stop to keep the team in the game.
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