Hurricanes should punch ticket to Stanley Cup Finals as Canadiens face elimination in Game 5
I was wrong in my last hockey game. It was just a few nights ago and in the same encounter. Tonight is Game 5 of the Eastern Conference and the first game of the series in which a team can officially advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Either the Canadiens will extend the series or the Hurricanes will finally get their suspension.
You almost feel sorry for the Montreal Canadians. They made the postseason and had to play every game possible. For their part, they persevered and won the first two series. I touched on this the other day, but this is now the 19th game the Canadiens will play in the postseason. They didn’t have to fight to get into the postseason, but it makes for a tough season. It also puts a lot of mental pressure on you because you are constantly fighting.
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen and defenseman Brent Burns celebrate at the end of the third period during Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals against the Florida Panthers on May 26, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The good news for Montreal is that they’ve been in these situations before. Other than two Game 7s, they have not faced elimination like this. In the previous qualifiers, goalkeeper Jakub Dobes was magnificent. The Dobes scored a total of three goals in more than two hours on the ice. He stopped 65 of the 68 shots he faced. Can he do it again tonight, two more games if they win?
The Carolina Hurricanes are just one game away from finally reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. They look like the best team in the play-offs having lost just one game. Their lone loss was pretty ugly as they lost 6-2 in the first game of this series. Since then they seem to be their normal self, winning the last three games. Their first two wins came by identical 3-2 scores in extra time. They then managed to win 4-0 in the last match and finally reach the Dobes.
NHL betting outlook focuses on two teams more familiar with each other and ready to score in Game 4
Seth Jarvis (right) and the Carolina Hurricanes currently lead the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Final. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)
The Hurricanes are heavy favorites to close out the series tonight. They have three chances to get to the finals, so it won’t be the end of the world if they fail tonight, but the pressure is on them to do it. The team is on the verge of something they haven’t done with this group. The team will continue to use Frederik Andersen, who played much better after the first match. The Hurricanes’ defense deserves a lot of credit because they allowed only 64 shots on Andersen in this series.
I’m not sure the Canadiens’ offense knows how to attack the Carolina defense. During the regular season, the team averaged 26.3 shots per game. That’s not a lot, but Carolina’s defense limited them to just 16 shots per game; This was down from the 23.9 shots they allowed to their opponents in the regular season.
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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes was transferred to St. Louis on February 2, 2026. He watches the first period of an NHL game against the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Hockey is not a sport where a team just gives up. These games have been competitive, but I think Andersen and the Hurricanes’ defense are locked in right now. I don’t expect the Canadiens to win and think it will probably be a lower scoring game. Specifically, I’ll put the Canadiens under 2.5 team average overall.
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