The Montreal Canadiens silenced their doubters on Thursday night, as they took on the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hurricanes were considered the favorites in this series, considering how dominant they were in the playoffs, while the Canadiens didn't have much time to relax after just completing their second round series earlier this week.
On Thursday night, the Canadiens picked up a huge 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes to take an early 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Entering this game, captain Nick Suzuki talked about the top line needing to produce on even strength situations, which they were unable to do effectively throughout the playoffs. The top line was outscored 10-3 on five-on-five hockey throughout these playoffs.
Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky answered the call, and because of that, the Canadiens dominated the Hurricanes. Now, the Canadiens look truly dangerous now that the playoffs have entered the final four.
Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky finally deliver on even strength in Game 1 vs. Hurricanes
As mentioned earlier, the top line really struggled to score goals in even strength situations. The top line only managed to score one goal on five-on-five hockey, and that belonged to Suzuki. Caufield was coming off of a 51-goal season, while Slafkovsky had a hat trick in Game 1 of Montreal's first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, all of which took place on the power play. It was truly baffling that the trio could not do anything on even strength.
Better late than never for Caufield and Slafkovsky to step up.
The Canadiens saw themselves hit a 1-0 deficit 33 seconds into the game after a goal from Seth Jarvis. But at the one minute mark, Caufield tied things up after being set up perfectly by Slafkovsky and Suzuki to tie the game up. That then set the stage for the Canadiens to score three more goals to enter first intermission with a 4-1 lead.
While the Canadiens' didn't get much going offensively in the second period, Slafkovsky stepped up in the third to ensure the Hurricanes had no shot of making a comeback. Slafkovsky extended the lead to 5-2 on a breakaway goal on a backhand pass by Suzuki, which saw him deke past Andrei Svechnikov to put the puck past goaltender Frederik Andersen.
This is what Canadiens fans were hoping to see throughout the playoffs. Luckily, they've had the likes of Alex Newhook and Alexandre Texier step up while the top line struggled in 5-on-5 situations. Now they see how dominant Montreal can be if Suzuki, Caufield, and Slafkovsky are able to produce on even strength.
Game 1 was great for the star trio. Now, fans want to see them put up a repeat performance on
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