While the Western Conference Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche is inching towards a sweep, the Eastern Conference Final rests on a knife’s edge as the Montreal Canadiens get ready to host the Carolina Hurricanes with the series tied at 1-1.
The Canadiens, fresh off yet another Game 7 win, came out all guns blazing in Game 1 against Carolina, but defensive lapses in overtime in Raleigh saw them fall to a 3-2 loss on Saturday night.
With the series heading to Bell Center Monday night, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky believes Montreal needs to put both hands on the steering wheel and take full control of the series when they welcome the Hurricanes later tonight.
Wayne Gretzky Dials Up Pressure on Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens and Hurricanes will lock horns at 8 pm Eastern tonight at Bell Center as Montreal looks to put a close Game 2 loss in the rearview mirror. Ahead of the matchup, Gretzky served a timely warning to the Canadiens to be on top of their game, pointing out that this could be a make-or-break game in a tight series.
“They’re a young group, and they were flying in Game 1. But it all changed in Game 2,” Gretzky said of the Canadiens. “Carolina looked like the team of the season. They had one of their better games in a long time. What they did was shut them down completely offensively. Montreal, I think, had 11 shots on goal throughout the whole game.
“Carolina’s good, and Roddy Brind’Amour’s a good coach. They’ll be ready for Game 3 tonight. I think this is a big, big game for Montreal. They need to at least get out of Montreal 2-2.”
.@waynegretzy thinks Game 3 of the NHL ECF tonight could swing the series for Montreal or Carolina 🫣🏒 pic.twitter.com/0wr1vcHDcv
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) May 25, 2026
The Canadiens will be well aware that they need to ramp up the pressure on Carolina on home ice. For that to happen, Montreal’s top line will need to show up tonight.
The Canadiens have a 30-goal scorer in Juraj Slafkovský, a 51-goal scorer in Cole Caufield, and a 101-point scorer in Nick Suzuki, but all three players on their top line failed to score in the 3-2 Game 2 loss in Raleigh.
While the top line doesn’t boast a lot of playoff experience, battling through two Game 7s on the road will season even the greenest of NHL players.
In the 6-2 Game 1 win over the Hurricanes, Montreal’s top-line trio racked up six points at five-on-five. The Canadiens scored four straight goals in the first period in that game, storming past Carolina and effectively suffocating any shot at a comeback. They will need more of the same on Monday night as they look to take control of the series.
