The Carolina Hurricanes are finally in the win column, and it took them long enough. After tough outings against Florida and Washington at home, the Canes conquered their first road game of the season on Saturday. They outshot the Flyers 40-18 in the contest but needed overtime to finish the job when Shayne Gostisbehere hammered a one-timer home on the power play to win, 3-2.
Sebastian Aho continued his hot start by scoring both of Carolina's goals in regulation, including his second power-play goal of the campaign, and adding an assist on the winner. Andrei Svechnikov had two helpers, and Pyotr Kochetkov made 16 stops to earn his first win since December 17. Now, they conclude their four-game gauntlet against another team from last season's playoff run.
Between the regular season and the postseason, the Canes and the Canadiens split their eight games. Montreal won all three during the year. They spoiled Aho's five-point game on New Year's Day with a 7-5 win, and Jakob Dobes was phenomenal in their final two meetings. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they handed the Canes their first loss of the postseason, 6-2.
After that, it was all Carolina. Games 2 and 3 were tight on the scoreboard, but not in many other places. Nikolaj Ehlers scored the overtime winner to even the series, and Andrei Svechnikov did the same the following game to give the Canes the lead. Then, they dominated Games 4 and 5, using a pair of three-goal first periods to set the tone and win the series in five games.
Behind Enemy Lines: Montreal Canadiens
After a deep playoff run, the Canadiens are back with a very similar lineup. The only notable change this offseason was trading long-time Hab Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations, taking $3.25 million off their books. Otherwise, they spent most of the offseason locking up valuable parts of their lineup.
Ivan Demidov signed an eight-year extension on July 1 following an impressive rookie campaign. Dobes signed a three-year deal, which kicks in next year, after his first full season as the team's starting goalie. Zach Bolduc and Game 7 hero Alex Newhook inked four-year deals closer to the start of camp. This is a deep team, especially up front, and they're ready for another run.
The Habs are playing their home opener tonight after spending their first two games on the road. They knocked off the Maple Leafs, 3-2, on Opening Night before fighting back from down 5-1 to force overtime, losing 6-5 to the Penguins on Saturday. It's the opening game of a four-game homestand for the Habs, so it's sure to be a hostile environment for the visiting Hurricanes.
Injury Report
Carolina: No one has joined Seth Jarvis on the injury list thus far, with everyone else acting as full participants in practice on Monday.
Montreal: The Habs are a little beaten up already. Kaiden Guhle is still recovering from a groin injury and is yet to play this season. Oliver Kapanen wasn't in the lineup against the Penguins, and Alexandre Carrier left that game early. The good news? All three were in regular sweaters at Monday's practice, suggesting that Carrier should be fine and that both Guhle and Kapanen are close to being healthy.
Players to Watch
Nick Suzuki: It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Suzuki is already leading the Canadiens in points after eclipsing 100 for the first time last season. All four of his points came on Saturday against the Penguins. Suzuki had five points in three games last season against the Canes, but he was held scoreless after picking up three assists in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Chris Kreider: It was already weird enough seeing him in a Ducks sweater. Now, he's playing for the Canadiens, which is something I never thought I'd say. Kreider is one in a long line of Canes Killers, dating back to his days with the Rangers. His Game 6 hat trick in 2024 is still a haunting moment for many Caniacs. I'm not sure how long it will take for this to feel "normal".
Logan Stankoven: It has been a disappointing start for the Stankoven line, especially for the line's center. Stankoven has just one goal to his name through three games and has won just one-third of his face-offs. The chances have been there for his line to produce. Now, it's time that they get something to show for it, as they did at the end of the conference finals.
Jaccob Slavin: Even with Montreal controlling the matchups as the home team, the goal will be for Slavin and Chatfield to be on the ice against one of Montreal's best lines. Ideally, they'd face the Suzuki line a lot. Either way, I expect to see a lot of Slavin in this contest after playing over 23 minutes in two of the first three. Maybe he'll get on the scoresheet, too.
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