The Montreal Canadiens are focused on carrying their momentum into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Montreal has been discussing the importance of their playoff experience in reaching this stage. They hope to ‘bring that emotion right away’ on the road.
Learning from Past Mistakes
The Canadiens have two Game 7 wins on the road. This showcases the ‘survive and advance’ mentality needed in the playoffs. Montreal also boasts a 6-0 record in games following a loss, demonstrating their ability to learn and respond within a series.
To gain an advantage over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1, the Canadiens need to handle the emotional shift after winning Game 7. They must reset and bring the right energy to the new series. Their previous attempt at this resulted in a loss.
‘Game 1 against Buffalo, I felt we weren’t really there emotionally and kind of showed in the result,’ said Montreal center Nick Suzuki. ‘That’s definitely a learning curve that we went through and hopefully that will help us for Game 1 in this series.’
Avoiding an Emotional Dip
The Canadiens struggled in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Second Round, losing 4-2 on May 6. This showed they hadn’t fully moved on from the emotional high of winning Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning three nights earlier. They recognise they were not at their best.
Montreal won Game 7 on the road in Buffalo in overtime, 3-2, exactly three nights ago.
‘I believe it’s hard to get that Game 1, but the further you go you can’t just waste a game because your emotions are not in the right place,’ said Montreal coach Martin St. Louis.
Playoff Experience a Factor
The Canadiens lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals last year, bowing out in five games. That was their first time in the playoffs since 2021. Only six players from that team remain in Montreal.
This group now understands what can happen if they don’t properly come down, reset, and refocus their emotions on a new opponent. ‘So, I think it’s a challenge for us tonight to bring that emotion right away,’ St. Louis said. ‘I hope that we learn from that Buffalo series, the first game. We got going, the second, third and fourth game we were pretty good, but sometimes losing a Game 1 could be the difference.’
The well-rested Hurricanes take on the battle-tested Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.