After splitting the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final, the fatigue finally caught up with the Habs. They weren’t able to muster up much against the Hurricanes the rest of the way, as they dropped the final three games of the series to end their playoff run.
The Week That Was
May 25: Hurricanes 3, Canadiens 2 (OT) – This was another game like the second one, except more tilted in Carolina’s favour. They once again opened the scoring in the first period and regained the lead late after Mike Matheson tied it but a very rare power play goal in the second on a give-and-go between Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield tied it up. Nick Suzuki missed on a breakaway on the opening shift of overtime while Matheson rang the crossbar 30 seconds later and that’s as close as they got. Then, with a little under six minutes left, Andrei Svechnikov fired home the winner.
May 27: Hurricanes 4, Canadiens 0 – In what felt like a near must-win game, Montreal didn’t come out strong and they paid for it. Carolina picked up three goals in a span of less than three minutes late in the frame, kicked off by a Sebastian Aho power play marker and the game was effectively over from there. Martin St. Louis tweaked his lines which gave them a short-term spark but they couldn’t beat Frederik Andersen to make the game more interesting. Svechnikov added a late empty-netter to officially put the game out of reach.
May 29: Hurricanes 6, Canadiens 1 – There was no big comeback to be had, or even a little one. After Taylor Hall’s opening goal wasn’t turned for goalie interference, it was all Carolina from there through the end of the second period and by then, it was 5-0. After going back to their usual lines to start this game, the blender came out for the third but while Montreal was better in that frame, it was too little, too late. Cole Caufield scored on the power play midway through the frame to end Andersen’s franchise-record playoff shutout streak.
StatPack
Skaters:
| # | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | PIMS | SOG | ATOI |
| 8 | Mike Matheson | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 5 | 24:43 |
| 13 | Cole Caufield | 3 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 0 | 7 | 19:02 |
| 14 | Nick Suzuki | 3 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 | 7 | 23:13 |
| 15 | Alex Newhook | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 3 | 19:34 |
| 17 | Josh Anderson | 3 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 4 | 5 | 14:58 |
| 20 | Juraj Slafkovsky | 3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 3 | 18:59 |
| 21 | Kaiden Guhle | 3 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 14 | 0 | 18:50 |
| 24 | Phillip Danault | 3 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 2 | 3 | 16:41 |
| 45 | Alexandre Carrier | 3 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 1 | 22:31 |
| 47 | Jayden Struble | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 10 | 2 | 12:51 |
| 48 | Lane Hutson | 3 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 2 | 4 | 23:59 |
| 53 | Noah Dobson | 3 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 | 7 | 22:05 |
| 71 | Jake Evans | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 2 | 3 | 19:12 |
| 76 | Zachary Bolduc | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 3 | 11:33 |
| 77 | Kirby Dach | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 9:04 |
| 85 | Alexandre Texier | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 10:52 |
| 90 | Joe Veleno | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 7:01 |
| 93 | Ivan Demidov | 3 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 19:51 |
Goalies:
| # | Player | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 75 | Jakub Dobes | 0-3-0 | 3.45 | .901 | 0 |
Playoff Team Leaders:
Goals: Alex Newhook (7)
Assists: Lane Hutson (13)
Points: Hutson/Suzuki (16)
+/-: Jake Evans (+11)
PIMS: Kaiden Guhle (46)
Shots: Juraj Slafkovsky (48) (league leader after three rounds)
News And Notes
– Montreal’s combined shot total from Games 2 through 4 in this series were the lowest for a three-game stint in NHL playoff history.
– Unsurprisingly, the 89 shots taken by the Habs was the lowest in a five-game playoff series ever.
– Even though he allowed 16 goals in the series, Jakub Dobes had a save percentage (.903) that was 17 points higher than Frederik Andersen (.886).
Last Game’s Lines:
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Evans – Demidov
Texier – Danault – Anderson
Bolduc – Veleno – Dach
Matheson – Dobson
Struble – Hutson
Guhle – Carrier
The Summer Ahead
With the season now over, it’s time to look forward to the offseason. With the Habs making it to the end of May, the summer activity is going to come up rather quickly. Here are some key dates to keep an eye on:
May 31-June 6: NHL Scouting Combine. The Habs hold eight picks in the draft, including the 28th overall selection.
Earlier of June 15 or End of the Cup Final: The first buyout window opens. With Brendan Gallagher scarcely playing down the stretch, it’s possible that the Habs could consider going this route if they’re unable to find a suitable trade (or Gallagher vetoes it with his partial trade protection). This is also the first deadline for team-elected salary arbitration (where they can offer up to 15% below the qualifying offer); the only candidate really for that is Kirby Dach and that would still be a long shot.
June 26-27: NHL Entry Draft
June 29: Qualifying offer deadline. The Habs have 11 restricted free agents, including youngsters in the minors. Several are likely to be non-tendered at that time, opening up contract slots for players outside the organization.
July 1: Free agency begins. Under this management group, this has typically been a quiet day on the signing front. Will this year be different?
July 5: Deadline for player-elected arbitration. Seven of Montreal’s pending restricted free agents have arbitration eligibility (though they probably all won’t be with the team by this point). The second deadline for club-elected arbitration comes one day later.
July 20-August 1: Arbitration hearings are held for those who filed and didn’t settle their contracts ahead of time. It’s very rare that Montreal’s players get to this point.
Final Thought
It’s safe to say that the season didn’t exactly end the way it hoped for the Habs. While they undoubtedly would have wanted to move on to take on Vegas, they at least would have liked to put up more of a fight against the Hurricanes. The Canadiens looked tired at the end of the Buffalo series and while they were rested enough to take the first game against Carolina (the one two-day break they had), the fatigue caught up with them in a big way in a hurry. The end result, of course, was predictable after that as a worn-down team versus a high-pressure opponent just wasn’t going to end well.
But while it was a disappointing end to the postseason, this was still an impressive run. Taking out two of the better teams in the East in Tampa Bay and Buffalo was quite impressive and is something the team should be rather proud of. Meanwhile, the group now has an extra three rounds and 19 games of experience under their belts, something that should help them down the road. For as young as this roster should still be next season, it won’t be particularly inexperienced in the playoffs anymore. Meanwhile, management has a much better sense of how this team will fare under the spotlight and, perhaps more important, what needs to be added to take them to that next level.
It was an ugly finish. But boy, was it a good run overall. And they’ll be better for it in the long run.