Canadiens vs. Hurricanes | NHL Playoff Highlights | Game 1 | May 21, 2026

Hurricane start. Halls, Van Koven, and Blake with Knorr and Walker for the Canadiens. Newhawk, Evans, Demidom, Matheson, and Dobson. Eastern Conference Final is underway. Stuff attempt by Blake. And then the puck played by Demidom. And Dobish had to make one really good stop with the pad right there. And there's that 4-check of Carolina that we're going to get used to seeing in this series. They are relentless. Oh, he did close the half. Sorry, Boosh. Puck held in at the line by Keiontre Miller. Faced by Sebastian Ajo. Oh! Just 33 seconds in. Seth Jarvis hits Carolina. A 1-0 lead in Game 1. The aggressive 4-check. The puck around the wall. The play by Ajo. And then Jarvis goes far side. Look at that beautiful little pass. That ended up going up the skate of Svechnikov. Seth Jarvis' team leading 32 goals during the regular season. That's his second of the playoffs. Now a great opportunity and the Canadiens tie it. Just one minute in, 27 seconds after the Carolina goal. It's Cole Caulfield. We are tied at 1. Wow, what a response by the Canadiens. It's like the top line for Carolina. Five on five, not doing a ton. Ford getting in deep. First to the puck. And look at Anderson, swimming. He thought Caulfield was going to his glove side. But Caulfield goes back against the grain. What a finish. What great patience. That is the key to me, is that he gets the puck. He doesn't shoot the puck right. Jarvis for Carolina. Caulfield for Montreal. Now Cooley moves the puck ahead. Play at the center. Set back by Nikishin. What a goal by Caulfield. Just beautifully done with the patience. Now Kirby Dodd with the Allen pass. And a save made on Boldu by Anderson. Shot by Dodds and blocked. One blocks up behind the Carolina net. Get your stick down. It might hit it. And that was relatively an easy play for Slefkoski. Because there was no... Four skaters aside. Here's Carrier for Montreal. Take the lead. Feeding Freddie Anderson. The right part of your screen. He's going to come over there. And then Slavin goes for the poke check. And he actually puts this puck right into the wheelhouse of Phil Deneau. And then Deneau goes in and goes to yes to the glove side on Freddie Anderson. Perfect shot by Deneau. Perfect finish there by Deneau. Goals in back-to-back games for the man that has the puck right now in the Canadiens. Huge goal in game seven. And then gets this one here. Anderson stopped. Josh Anderson. And then a second save by Freddie Anderson. Got a cross by Nakeisha. And of course, that's the call. And across the Montreal line with a shot. Knocked down by Dodd. To be able to make those plays out of the zone. Clean plays. Clean exit to the forwards of the Canadiens. Stopped by Texier. That's blown. Anderson hangs on. And Suzuki. Killer redirect. Good save there by Dovish. And now Slepkovski for Suzuki. The Montreal captain. Dropping it back off. Saved by Anderson. On your eyes, Slepkovski. Texier up the boards and down. Slavin back on it for the Canes. Now Chatfield. Montreal! Here by Kaden Gouie. Watch on the near side. He's going to come in, get position. He pinches in. He makes the play to Philip Deneau. And Texier makes no mistake going glove side. A one-timer. Well, it looks like Anderson. I don't know if he read the play quick enough there, Bush. But the aggressive pitch by Gouie kept the play alive. Collision there with Slepkovski and Anderson. That being Freddie Anderson. Great save by Dovish. Here's Volgin. Up the middle. Passes in the skate to Kirby Duck. Carried back into the Montreal zone by Svechnikov. Saved by Dovish on Jarvis. I like to see Svechnikov after he moves that puck beautifully over to Jarvis. Go to the front of the net and stop. He went flying by the net. There was a rebound there by Dovish. Now here's Jarvis cutting wide. Dovish looks behind him. He has the puck. Svechnikov looking to fish it out. Now the Hurricanes. Van Komer moves it back into the Montreal zone. And Huckson comes away with the puck. Now Evans. Where is Keiondre Miller going on this play in the middle of the ice? Watch the right part of your screen. There goes Miller. And look at all that open ice for Demidov. And what a passing play by the Canadians, Bush. What a play. What a finish by Demidov. But you're right. I think for Miller, it's one of those cases. 4-1 lead for Montreal. Just over seven minutes to play, first period. Here's Huckson. Huckson towards the net. Sticked aside by Anderson. Another great job defensively for Carolina in this four-on-four. Now Blake dropping it back for Jarvis. Jarvis shooting. Gloved by Dovish. Levkovsky works it in deep for Suzuki. The penalty expires. Canes back to full strength. Now Dobson towards the net. And the save made by Anderson. Slavin works the puck out of the zone. Here's Stan Colvin. They're on a hole with a shot. Stopped and then gathered in. You can practice all you want. Watch video of it. Now a run for it. Carrier. That's mothered by Dovish. Canadians are playing. They don't have two players going to one. Or they're there before the puck gets there. Stopped by Slavkovsky. Blocked by Chatfield. And then a great opportunity for Suzuki. He just missed on the stick side. Quick little play. Goes back the other way. He dropped it. He found it. Was able to get that puck to take it out of harm's way. Now Huckson with the long out and pass. Off the post. Cole Caulfield looking for his second of the game. Hit the post. That's the other end. Score! Robinson. That's the Montreal lead to two. Swing. Caulfield after the great pass from Huckson goes far side. And Haboosh, here come the Canes. Transition the other way. What a shot here by Robinson. I had a great view of this from my angle. High blocker. Short side. Robinson rips it past an aggressive Dobish. Right off the crossbar and in. Get a break at one end. You get the finish. In deep. Steps to Caulfield. Long pass up the middle. Here's Jarvis. Canes a step on Huckson. Jarvis needs had a stop by Dobish. Every time that that puck goes around there, is that without leading with the stick? I guess that's what I'm asking. Oh, yeah. You're just trying to make sure it doesn't get around the wall. Whoa, what a move. Here's Slavkovsky. Moves in. He scores! Jarvis Slavkovsky makes it 5-2, Canadians. Wow. You mentioned Slavkovsky's four goals in this playoffs, all on the power play. Able to get it in stride. The toe drag around Svechnikov. That's a forward, so easier to do, but still a heck of a move and what a finish by Slavkovsky. What a play by Nick Suzuki in the middle of the ice. It happens so quick. He just slows it up enough. He gets a piece of that, I believe. And Slavkovsky goes in. He goes around Chatfield. A play by Kostas Peres. Shot blocked. There's Suzuki. That is empty. Slavkovsky already has a goal this period. He scores! Into the empty net. The second for Slavkovsky, 6-2, Montreal. In his own blue line here, the shot blocked, and then it's bouncing. Suzuki stays with it, finds Slavkovsky, and Slavkovsky does the rest. But a great finish. Against the Carolina team that swept their first two series, and the Canadiens take game one of the Eastern Conference Final by the score of 6-2.