Leaky Canes fall 6-2 to Montreal in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals
An early lead quickly vanished for the Hurricanes in a blowout loss in Game 1.
A dream start in the Eastern Conference Finals quickly eroded into a Game 1 nightmare for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. The Hurricanes, coming off a 12-day hiatus -- the longest postseason break in more than a century -- got a goal from Seth Jarvis just 33 seconds into the first period. Box Score Then the wheels came off.
The Canadiens answered less than 30 seconds later, and added three more first-period goals in about an 11-minute span to take a 4-1 lead and stun the sellout crowd at Lenovo Center. Canes captain Jordan Staal after the 6-2 Game 1 loss: “We lost the game from the start…they were ready to roll, we weren’t. ” pic.
twitter. com/leIshA6DHE — Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) May 22, 2026 Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault scored in the opening four minutes, Alexandre Texier followed four minutes later, and Ivan Demidov finished a breakaway for the shocking 4-1 lead midway through the opening period. That came against the Eastern Conference's top seed, which hadn't allowed more than two goals in an 8-0 playoff start.
Hurricanes fans are ready for hockey to return after 12 days off. Eric Robinson got one back for the Canes 2:46 into the second period, but a third-period score from Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky virtually ended any hopes of a comeback. Slafkovsky added an empty-netter late in the third for the final margin.