Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 1 Prediction, NHL Eastern Conference Final Odds
The Montreal Canadiens play their first Eastern Conference Finals game since 2021 when they visit Carolina in Game 1 of their series Thursday night. The Hurricanes are -195 favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 5.5 goals.
Canadiens vs. Hurricanes NHL Betting Odds
This will be one of the most extreme “rest vs. rust” arguments in recent Stanley Cup playoff history considering that Carolina has not played since sweeping out the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2 back on May 9. That 11-day layoff is the second-longest in playoff history. So the Hurricanes practically needed another training camp like out of the Olympic break. Meanwhile, Montreal just played a second straight Game 7 in these playoffs on Monday.
With an average roster age of just 25.8, the Canadiens are the youngest team to reach the conference final round since the 1993 Canadiens. Of course, they won the last Cup for a team from Canada. Montreal was last in this round in 2021 when it beat Vegas with the weird COVID setup only to lose in the final to Tampa Bay.
Carolina is in the East Finals for the second season in a row and third time in the past four, but the franchise hasn’t been to the Stanley Cup Final since winning its only title in 2006. On this series line, the Hurricanes -275 and Canadiens +225 even though Montreal won all three regular-season meetings. The over-under for total games is 5.5, and I lean over at -160. Carolina in five games is the +320 favourite, but I prefer in six at +370.
The Hurricanes are 2-0 all-time in the playoffs (since moving to Carolina) vs. the Canadiens, but they haven’t met since 2006.
Montreal Canadiens
Predicted a 3-2 Montreal win in Buffalo in Game 7 of their semifinal on Monday and that’s exactly what happened, although it took the Canadiens blowing a 2-0 second-period lead and then overtime.
Alex Newhook’s team-leading seventh goal of these playoffs was the winner at 11:22 of OT. Newhook also scored the Game 7 clincher in Round 1 at Tampa Bay. He joined Boston’s Nathan Horton in 2011 as the only players in NHL history to score multiple Game 7 series-clinching goals in a single postseason. Newhook was the fourth player in team history to score an overtime goal in Game 7 and first since Russ Courtnall in 1992.
The Canadiens are now 12-2 all-time when scoring first in a Game 7 and have won the past 10. Rookie Jakub Dobes bounced back from a rough Game 6 by stopping 37 of 39 shots Monday to become the third goaltender in franchise history with two Game 7 wins in a single postseason (Jaroslav Halak in 2010 and Ken Dryden in 1971) and the NHL’s sixth rookie to do so.
Dobes started all three regular-season wins vs. Carolina and finished with a 2.67 GAA and .922 SV. Cole Caufield (3G, 2A), Ivan Demidov (1G, 4A), Juraj Slafkovsky (2G, 3A) and Nick Suzuki (3G, 2A) led Montreal with five points each in the regular-season series.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 8-0 in these playoffs and has allowed only 10 total goals in sweeps of Ottawa and Philadelphia. The Hurricanes are the fifth team in NHL history to begin a postseason with eight straight wins, and the first since the Edmonton Oilers won their first nine in 1985 (still the record).
Perhaps all the time off won’t be too strange as the Canes as they had a week off in between the first and second round and then 11 days between Round 2 and the conference finals.
Former Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen has vaulted into the +400 second-favoured role for the Conn Smythe Trophy. He has started all eight wins and leads the league with a 1.12 GAA and .950 SV after a rather mediocre regular season. He is one of six goaltenders in NHL history to allow two goals against or fewer in eight straight appearances to begin a postseason.
Former Oiler Taylor Hall leads the Hurricanes with 12 playoff points, while rising star Logan Stankoven, just 23, leads with seven goals. In the regular-season series with Montreal, Sebastian Aho (2G, 4A) led Carolina with six points. Andersen lost both his starts, allowing seven goals on 36 total shots.
MON
CAR