3 Takeaways From Hurricanes’ 6-2 Game 1 Loss to Canadiens – The Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

Well, the day has finally come: the Carolina Hurricanes lost a game in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. No team has ever gone 16-0, and the Hurricanes will be another team added to that list. Even the 2022 Colorado Avalanche lost a couple of games en route to their Stanley Cup victory. The Hurricanes dropped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, 6-2, to the Montreal Canadiens. What were the main takeaways from the blowout loss?

Takeaway #1: Slow Start Sinks Hurricanes Early

Despite the final result, the Hurricanes did lead at one point in this game. Albeit it was 33 seconds, they did lead thanks to Seth Jarvis‘ second goal of the playoffs. However, Cole Caufield scored 27 seconds later, and the rest was history. The Canadiens scored four goals in the first 10 and a half minutes of the first period. The Hurricanes gave up two goals or fewer in eight straight games. It only took the visitors less than 11 minutes to score two games’ worth against the Hurricanes.

The defense looked lost for the entirety of the first period, giving up too many high-danger chances and having defensive breakdowns that led to multiple rushes and breakaways. It’s tough to blame Frederik Andersen for any of the goals in the game when the Canadiens were wide open for one-timers off turnovers or just making shots with time to spare. Andersen finished the night with 16 saves on 21 shots for a .762 save percentage (SV%), the worst of the entire playoffs for him.

The Hurricanes eventually found their footing in the second period, even coming back to within two thanks to an Eric Robinson goal. However, that was not enough.

Takeaway #2: Defensive Woes Burn Hurricanes

To piggyback off the first takeaway, the defense was in disarray from the jump, and it showed on the stat sheet. Jaccob Slavin was a minus-4, and Jalen Chatfield was a minus-3, arguably their worst night in a while, especially the former, who is the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. Everyone has an off night, but it was uncharacteristic for Slavin to be a minus-4. In reality, the whole defense was off, minus Sean Walker. While K’Andre Miller was a plus-1, he had a bad defensive breakdown leading to the Ivan Demidov goal, which made it 4-1.

Instead of staying with Demidov, he tried to double up Alex Newhook, giving the Russian rookie a breakaway. Overall, the defense was pinching at the wrong time, looked timid, and was getting exposed early in the game. Even with them locking in until the first Juraj Slafkovský goal in the third period, making it 5-2, it was a tough night for the defense. It is only one game, but hopefully the defense can find its footing sooner rather than later and help out Andersen, who was hung out to dry all game.

Takeaway #3: Lots of Hockey Left

Despite being down 1-0 in the series after the blowout loss, there is lots of hockey left for the Hurricanes. The rest versus rust debate will linger on more now after how the Hurricanes got blown away in Game 1. However, they won the Metropolitan Division and the first seed for a reason. Even the Colorado Avalanche lost their first game in the Western Conference Final. It’s only one game, and the Hurricanes have a chance to even the series on Saturday in Game 2.

While it’s been 20 years, even the 2006 Stanley Cup team came back from a 2-0 series deficit against the Canadiens in the playoffs. As long as they win Game 2 on Saturday (May 23), there is still life in the Hurricanes to make the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. Now that they have gotten their first playoff loss out of the way, there will be a bounce-back. It will come down to how they respond.

If they can manage to respond in Game 2 and split the series before heading back to Montreal, then Game 1 is a distant memory. No one said it would be easy, and eventually the Hurricanes would have some adversity. Nonetheless, there is a ton of hockey left, and the Hurricanes have a chance to even the series on Saturday.