2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 3: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
Series tied 1-1
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT**
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the United States: TNT, truTV
Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
The Carolina Hurricanes haven’t scored many goals in the playoffs despite finishing the regular season with the second-best offence. In the post-season they sit below average with 2.90 goals per contest through 10 games played, scoring five versus the Montreal Canadiens through two games of the Eastern Conference Final so far.
One of those five goals was scored 33 seconds into Game 1, and Carolina opened the scoring 2:33 into Game 2. Early goals against have been an issue for Montreal since starting the scoring in five of the seven games of the opening round, including in all four wins. The Habs have fallen behind in seven of the nine games played since the second round began. They have just three wins in the nine games the opponent goes up 1-0; they are 6-1 when they find the back of the net first.
A fast start has been elusive for whatever reason, even though the evidence is clear that allowing that early goal is more often than not a recipe for a loss. It’s usually the result of an extended shift in the defensive zone with a missed opportunity to get a clear. If the Canadiens are going to improve their home record by taking a third consecutive Game 3 on home ice this spring, avoiding that repeated failure is the best way for them to start on that path.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #13 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #15 Alex Newhook | #71 Jake Evans | #93 Ivan Demidov |
| #76 Zachary Bolduc | #90 Joe Veleno | #77 Kirby Dach |
| #85 Alexandre Texier | #24 Phillip Danault | #17 Josh Anderson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #53 Noah Dobson |
| #47 Jayden Struble | #48 Lane Hutson |
| #21 Kaiden Guhle | #45 Alexandre Carrier |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #75 Jakub Dobeš | #32 Jacob Fowler |
Scratched: Owen Beck, Adam Engström, Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeault, David Reinbacher,Arber Xhekaj, Florian Xhekaj
Carolina Hurricanes projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #37 Andrei Svechnikov | #20 Sebastian Aho | #24 Seth Jarvis |
| #71 Taylor Hall | #22 Logan Stankoven | #53 Jackson Blake |
| #27 Nikolaj Ehlers | #11 Jordan Staal | #48 Jordan Martinook |
| #28 William Carrier | #77 Mark Jankowski | #50 Eric Robinson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #74 Jaccob Slavin | #5 Jalen Chatfield |
| #19 K’Andre Miller | #26 Sean Walker |
| #4 Shayne Gostisbehere | #21 Alexander Nikishin |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #31 Frederik Andersen | #32 Brandon Bussi |
Scratched: Charlie Cerrato, Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Charles Alexis Legault, Mikey Reilly
