CAROLINA – Carolina opened the scoring just 33 seconds into the game, but Montreal answered with four goals in a span of 10:32 in the first period en route to a 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center on Thursday.
The Canadiens’ four consecutive goals marked the fastest stretch of four goals to begin a road playoff game in franchise history.
Seth Jarvis struck first for Carolina, but Cole Caufield responded just 27 seconds later with his fifth goal of the postseason. Phil Danault, Alexandre Texier and Ivan Demidov also found the back of the net in the opening frame, sending the Canadiens into the first intermission with a commanding 4-1 lead.
Eric Robinson pulled the Hurricanes within two in the second period, but Juraj Slafkovsky restored Montreal’s three-goal cushion midway through the third, silencing the crowd at Lenovo Center and sealing the Game 1 victory.
Jakub Dobes turned aside 25 of 27 shots as the Canadiens improved to 7-2 on the road during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For more stats, check out the NHL’s Gamecenter summary here.
Roster
