The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Montreal scored four goals in the first period to take control early.
>>> Nneka Ogwumije Moves to Fifth on WNBA All-Time Scoring List
Juraj Slafkovsky led the offense with two goals and an assist. Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault each had a goal and an assist.
Alexandre Texier and Ivan Demidov also scored.
Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes made 25 saves. Captain Nick Suzuki recorded three assists.
Seth Jarvis and Eric Robinson scored for the Hurricanes. Carolina had swept its first two playoff series before this loss.
The defeat extended Carolina's streak of seven consecutive losses in conference final openers. The Hurricanes have won only one of their last 17 conference final games.
Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 16 shots. He had allowed two or fewer goals per game in earlier rounds.
The game started with two goals in the first minute. Jarvis scored 33 seconds in, and Caufield tied it at the one-minute mark.
>>> NHL Prospects Set for 2026 Memorial Cup in Kelowna
Danault put Montreal ahead during a 4-on-4 situation at 4:04. Texier scored on a one-timer, and Demidov added a breakaway goal to make it 4-1.
Robinson cut the lead to 4-2 early in the second period. Slafkovsky scored on a toe-drag move in the third and added an empty-net goal.
Other NHL News
The Vegas Golden Knights won 4-2 at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday to open the Western Conference finals.
Vegas coach John Tortorella said his team is comfortable playing its style. The Golden Knights improved to 5-2 on the road in the playoffs.
Colorado played without defenseman Cale Makar due to an upper-body injury. Coach Jared Bednar said Makar skated Thursday but his status for the next game is uncertain.
Nathan MacKinnon said the Avalanche lacked sharpness and execution.
>>> Knicks Beat Cavaliers 109-93, Take 2-0 Lead in Eastern Conference Finals
Game 2 between Montreal and Carolina is scheduled for Saturday.
