Let me start this by saying that no matter what adjustments could have been made, Carolina was winning this series. But a surprising level of hubris from Martin St. Louis didn’t help Montreal’s chances.

There was no last-gasp comeback to be had for the Habs on Friday night in Carolina. They once again were down big early and never recovered, falling 6-1 to lose the Eastern Conference Final in five games.

The Habs held the Hurricanes off the scoresheet for significant chunks of Wednesday’s game. However, they allowed three goals in less than three minutes late in the first and it was basically game over from there as Carolina skated away with the 4-0 win.

Before Game 1 of the third round, there was talk about the Habs making some preemptive adjustments that ultimately worked out well. Now, it’s time to go back to the drawing board as they’ve become much too predictable.

For the second straight game, the Habs were able to get the game to overtime despite being outplayed and outshot. However, also for the second straight game, the Hurricanes potted the winner with Andrei Svechnikov giving Carolina the 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead.

After taking care of business in Game 7 on the road once again for the second straight series, the Habs then opened up the next round with a split on the road for the third time in a row in this postseason.

Shots and scoring chances were hard to come by for the Habs on Saturday in Carolina but they were still able to get the game to overtime. However, less than four minutes into the extra frame, Nikolaj Ehlers potted his second of the night to give the Hurricanes the 3-2 win to tie the series.

Thursday’s series opener in Carolina didn’t start great with a goal for the Hurricanes in the opening minute but the Habs stormed back with four of their own before the first period end. They rode that outburst to a big 6-2 victory to give them the early advantage.

With Montreal advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, the HabsWorld writers provided their predictions on the upcoming series against Carolina.

Special teams and goaltending will play key roles in the third round between Montreal and Carolina. Right now, the playoff numbers greatly differ from the regular season numbers in both regards.