The Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes will meet on Friday night on the second game of a back-to-back for the Habs. The Canadiens' worst nightmare happened on Thursday night when they lost the "easy" leg of that back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers. Martin St. Louis decided to roll out Jakub Dobes for the first game, and he stopped just 24 of 30 shots. It now places plenty of pressure on Sam Montembeault, who faces a must-win game against one of the hottest teams in the league.
How to Watch Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Date: Friday, March 28, 2025
Time: 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT
Venue: Wells Fargo Center
How to Watch: TSN2, RDS, Fanduel Sports Network, FuboTV
The Hurricanes lost two of their past three games, but they were on a hot streak after the trade deadline. The last time the Canadiens saw the Hurricanes, they were a much different team, as Mikko Rantanen was still on the team before they flipped him to the Dallas Stars.
Carolina won six consecutive games after the trade, before dropping two of the last three. It was a strange time for them, as the losses came at the end of the California road trip and the return after the long trip. Carolina has now been waiting at home for three days for this game.
The Canadiens' road trip was a crucial part of the season. They had a chance to build on their lead in the wild card, but have dropped two consecutive games to the Flyers and St. Louis Blues. Montreal's defensive woes from the start of the season are beginning to rear their ugly head, as they allowed 12 goals over those two games. It could be only a matter of time before the rest of the contending teams stop doing them favors and we see them fall in the standings.
Montreal's goal for this game? Not fall behind early and have to chase the game. It's becoming an all-too-familiar trend. If the Hurricanes get a stranglehold on this game, it might be tough for the Canadiens to shake it off.