The Carolina Hurricanes stormed through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs looking nearly unbeatable, sweeping both opponents and rolling into the Eastern Conference Final.
Then Game 1 happened, and suddenly the cracks showed. The Montreal Canadiens ripped apart Carolina’s defensive structure, attacked with speed through the neutral zone, and turned the Hurricanes’ usually disciplined system into chaos under relentless pressure.
After the stunning loss, a former Canadiens star didn’t mince words, calling out Carolina’s game plan and the areas where Montreal completely took control.
P.K. Subban Says Hurricanes Couldn’t Handle Canadiens’ Pressure
Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman and 2013 Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban did not hold back while evaluating Carolina’s Game 1 collapse against Montreal. Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Subban said the biggest difference came down to structure, execution, and how connected the Canadiens looked in every area of the ice.
Montreal stormed to a 6-2 win Thursday night at the Lenovo Center after responding to an early Carolina goal with four unanswered goals in the opening period. Juraj Slafkovsky finished with two goals and one assist, while Nick Suzuki added three assists.
Rookie forward Ivan Demidov also scored during the explosive first-period stretch that completely shifted the game.
Subban explained that Montreal controlled the details from the opening faceoff. “Montreal was the more connected group,” he said during the show.
He pointed specifically to the Canadiens’ breakout execution, forecheck pressure, and puck movement through the neutral zone. According to Subban, Carolina repeatedly failed to make simple plays under pressure, which allowed Montreal to dominate possession through the middle of the ice.
The criticism carried extra weight because Carolina entered the series with a perfect 8-0 playoff record after sweeping both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers.
The Hurricanes had also posted elite underlying numbers during the postseason under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, including a league-best territorial possession profile at 5-on-5. However, Subban argued that Montreal’s skill forced Carolina outside its comfort zone almost immediately.
He also emphasized that the Hurricanes must change the tone physically if they want to recover in the series. Subban specifically mentioned Carolina stars Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis as players capable of thriving in an open series, but he stressed that Montreal’s young core currently has too much freedom.
“I said at the beginning of the series, coming into this, guys like Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, they’re going to have an impact in this series, which they did in Game 1, because this series opens up. It’s a skill series now. The game opens up a little bit. But it also opens up for Montreal.
“You need to get Slafkovsky, Demidov, Suzuki, Lane Hutson, get a group of them, get as many leashes as you can, and hitch it to all of them,” Subban added. “You’ve got to get those guys together. These guys are running rampant through the middle of the ice. They’re doing whatever they want.”
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Carolina’s issues were magnified by an unusual 12-day break before the conference final began. The Hurricanes surrendered four goals within the first 11 minutes, while goaltender Frederik Andersen endured his toughest outing of the postseason after previously posting a .950 save percentage through his first eight starts.
Game 2 now carries enormous pressure for Carolina. Including Thursday’s loss, the Hurricanes are now 1-13 in their last 14 Eastern Conference Final games, a trend the organization desperately needs to reverse before the series shifts fully in Montreal’s favor.
