Canadiens pounce on Canes early, roll to G1 win
Key takeaways
- Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault scored in the opening four minutes, Alexandre Texier followed four minutes later, and Ivan Demidov finished a breakaway for a shocking 4-1 lead midway through the opening period.
- Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice in the third period for Montreal, the second on a late empty-netter, while Jakub Dobes had 24 saves.
- The Hurricanes were the first team to sweep their first two playoff rounds since the NHL went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Montreal Canadiens pounced for four first-period goals on slow-starting Carolina -- coming off the longest postseason break in more than a century -- and handed the Hurricanes their first loss of the playoffs with a 6-2 victory Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault scored in the opening four minutes, Alexandre Texier followed four minutes later, and Ivan Demidov finished a breakaway for a shocking 4-1 lead midway through the opening period. That came against the Eastern Conference's top seed, which hadn't allowed more than two goals in an 8-0 playoff start.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice in the third period for Montreal, the second on a late empty-netter, while Jakub Dobes had 24 saves.