3 Canadiens bold predictions for East Final vs. Hurricanes

The Montreal Canadiens are flying high following their seven-game triumph over the Buffalo Sabres. Head coach Marty St. Louis has a team that attacks quickly, passes the puck with a purpose and plays well enough on defense to get through two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They are stepping up in class as they meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, a team that has gotten through its first two rounds without a single postseason loss. The Hurricanes are clearly rested, as they have not played a game since May 9. They finished off a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers and have been sitting idly by since then.

Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour has seen his team get to this level multiple times, but they have never been successful at reaching the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes had a better regular-season record and have home-ice advantage, so they should have plenty of confidence going into this series.

The Canadiens were successful against the Hurricanes during the regular season, winning all three meetings. Regular-season results don’t often matter, but it should eliminate the intimidation factor that might come into play if the Hurricanes had won the regular-season games.

Canadiens will get the jump on Hurricanes in Game 1

The Habs needed overtime to get past the Sabres and they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals when opportunistic Alex Newhook wristed a drive past Buffalo goalie Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen in the first overtime period. Newhook has been the team’s leading goal scorer in the postseason, having found the back of the net seven times.

However, the Habs have three dynamic offensive players who should be able to get the jump on the Hurricanes as they try to find their legs in Game 1. Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson are capable of stringing goals together and making sure the opponents can’t dictate the pace of the game.

Caufield was a 51-goal scorer in the regular season and he has a remarkably quick release. He can fire the puck from multiple angles. While he has not lit it up in the playoffs to this point — 4 goals and 5 assists — he looks like he is ready to hit his stride as the Canadiens move forward.

Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen has been scintillating to this point with an 8-0 record, a 1.12 goals against averaged and a .950 save percentage. However, neither the Senators nor the Flyers could come at the Hurricanes in waves. Montreal can do that, and Caufield will lead the way.

The Canadiens break through in Game 1 with an upset.

Battle-tested Habs withstand a couple of tough losses in this series

The Hurricanes are a relentless team and it won’t take them long to find their stride. They should be at their best in Game 2 where they can use their wheels to get behind the Montreal defense and attack Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes.

There have been significant lulls in Montreal’s play in both series. They had the Sabres on the ropes in Game 6 at the Bell Center, but the visitors came in and dominated with an 8-3 triumph. There are times when Montreal falls out of its attack mentality and decides to sit back. That is not going to change at this point.

However, Montreal generally wakes up and responds after a poor performance. They have not lost two games in a row in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and that will help them after Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven get the Hurricanes on the board in Game 2.

Look for a back-and-forth series through the first four games, with the Habs winning Games 1 and 3 and the Hurricanes winning Games 2 and 4.

New heroes emerge for Canadiens with series on the line

Newhook has been a postseason hero for Montreal since he scored the series-winning goals against Tampa Bay in the first round and Buffalo in the second.

Teams that have the ability to advance deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs don’t just rely on their stars. They need secondary scorers to find the back of the net at key moments.

The Hurricanes are fully aware of what Newhook has done to this point. While he is not going to fade away in this crucial series, the Canadiens need a couple of other players to join Caufield, Suzuki and Hutson.

Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov both are ready to step up in the Eastern Conference Final. Slakfkovsky should be in an ideal position as right wing on the top line with Caufield and Suzuki. He has 4 goals and 5 assists in the first two series, and he should contribute even further at this point.

Demidov has a wicked shot, excellent speed and the ability to find the soft spots in the defense. If Slafkovsky and Demidov can score a couple of big goals in this series, the Canadiens will be primed to pull off the upset and advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

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