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After a stonking 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the series opener on Wednesday, the Habs stayed in town for the second meeting of the series on Saturday. They had already stolen home-ice advantage, but the question was whether they might be able to take a stranglehold on the series with a Game 2 victory.

Alas, the Hurricanes managed to stifle the Habs offence, limiting the team to 12 shots, two goals, and 1.6 xG, not enough to outscore the home team. They were able to tie the game up in the third period, but Carolina claimed the 3-2 win with a goal early in overtime to send the series to Montreal deadlocked at 1-1.

Starting Lines

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Evans – Demidov
Bolduc – Kapanen – Dach
Texier – Danault – Anderson

Matheson – Dobson
Struble – Hutson
Guhle – Carrier

Dobes
Fowler

Ten Thoughts

1) Adapt or double down? That was essentially the question facing Rod Brind’Amour, the Carolina coach ahead of the second game of the series, as he was questioned about how he would respond to the slap-down the Habs delivered on Wednesday night. Brind’Amour stuck to his story and said that the Hurricanes’ game plan was exactly what would win them games, as they only needed better execution. Martin St-Louis and his assistant, Alex Burrows, on the other hand, are not afraid of making adjustments.

2) The Hurricanes nearly scored again on the first shift, as Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven skated into the Montreal zone on a two-on-one break. However, Mike Matheson got his stick out to intercept the pass that might have enabled Stankoven to tip the puck past Jakub Dobes. Just two minutes later, though, William Carrier took a soft wrist shot on net from the top of the right circle, and, as Eric Robinson reached for it, he just managed to make contact with the sliding puck. That was enough to make it change direction, though, and send it past the outstretched pad of Dobes to open the scoring. Yet another early goal allowed–and the fourth in these playoffs on the first shot of the game–to give Carolina the early lead.

3) It took longer for the Habs to respond this time, but respond they did. As the fourth line was exerting pressure a little past the halfway mark of the period, Taylor Hall made a weak clearing attempt along the boards from the Carolina zone. Kaiden Guhle intercepted that and made a heads-up pass to Phillip Danault on the opposite side. Danault saw Josh Anderson driving for the net and made a crisp pass to his stick; Anderson made no mistake on that, making the score even at one.

4) Jayden Struble gave a horse-collar hug to Andrei Svechnikov in a post-whistle net-front scrum, and the Russian crumpled to the ice like a rag doll. Two minutes for roughing, then, to the Habs defender. The Hurricanes buzzed around in the Montreal zone, but achieved little, recording but a single shot (and a shot attempt) in the first 100 seconds of power play.

5) At that point, Svechnikov decided that it wasn’t enough and ran Anderson into the boards, hard, instead of playing the puck. A boarding penalty, in the offensive zone, while on a man advantage–that’s rarely going to earn any plaudits from the coach. Might it be frustration at having just a single goal in ten playoff games so far this year, after 31 regular-season markers? As for the subsequent power play, it looked better, but so did the Carolina shorthanded counterattack. Neither one produced much, though.

6) Halfway through the game, the Habs had recorded just four shots on Frederik Andersen, two in the first period and two in the first half of the second. However, the home team wasn’t doing much more: seven in the first and three so far in the second. About ten blocked shots by each team, but neither team was finding much to shoot at.

7) Dobes was penalized just after the 11-minute mark for interfering (really?) with Mark Jankowski. The Canadiens were able to contain the Carolina attack again, with the attackers only recording one shot on net and one decent scoring chance, a Jordan Staal shot from in front of the net that went wide.

8) The bleu blanc et rouge seemed energized by the successful kill, exerting pressure on the Hurricanes, but it was Carolina that finally scored.  Nikolaj Ehlers got away from Lane Hutson’s stick-check with a spin-around shot that also fooled Dobes, trickling through his five-hole, to put the Hurricanes in the lead again with just three minutes remaining in the second.

9) This Canadiens team never gives up, though. With about seven minutes remaining in regulation, the referees’ arms came up for a delayed penalty, but the Habs rushed off into attack mode. Anderson and Phillip Danault carried the puck into the Carolina zone, and Danault took a shot on net, with a crowd forming in front of the net. Andersen made a pad save but gave up a rebound, with the puck bouncing among the skates of the players crowding the front of the net. Anderson got his stick on the puck and lifted it into the net, for his second goal of the game, to tie the score once more.

10) After a more even third period (shots 9-7 for Carolina), it was time for an extra period to determine the winner. The Hurricanes came on strong early and, before the Habs managed a single shot attempt, Ehlers scored his second of the game, on a snap shot on a rush, from between the circles. While Noah Dobson should have had Ehlers covered, Dobes surely would like that one back as well. Alas, the Habs will need to settle for a 1-1 series after two games in Carolina.

HW Habs Three Stars

First Star: Josh Anderson (2g, 0a, 2 shots, +2, 1 block, 14:33 TOI) has been a key player for the Habs in these playoffs, using his power and shot in combination to make a difference for the team. His first goal was exemplary, with an excellent pass from Danault while Anderson was driving for the net, and he made no mistake burying the puck behind Andersen.

Second Star: Kaiden Guhle (0g, 1a, 0 shots, +2, 0 blocks, 19:23 TOI) played an outstanding game with Alexandre Carrier, making heads-up plays and keeping the Carolina attackers away from high-danger scoring opportunities. If this is what the future looks like at 3LD, things look positive indeed.

Third Star: Phillip Danault (0g, 2a, 0 shots, 2 blocks, 2 hits, 14:33 TOI) once again showed his value in a playoff game, making smart plays in the defensive zone and a great pass to Anderson for the Habs’ first goal. With the stifling Carolina defence, the play of the third line is absolutely critical to the team’s chances.