Montréal beat Carolina three times out of three last season and outscored them 15-8 doing it. Then the two met in the Eastern Conference Finals and Carolina won in five.
That’s the knot at the centre of Canadiens vs Hurricanes, the first meeting since May. The regular-season record said one thing and the playoffs said the opposite, and only one of those answers came with a Stanley Cup attached.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Game | Carolina Hurricanes at Montréal Canadiens |
| Date | Tuesday 6 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00pm ET · 6:00pm CT · 5:00pm MT · 4:00pm PT |
| Venue | Centre Bell, Montréal |
| 2025-26 regular season | Montréal won all three, 15-8 |
| 2026 Conference Finals | Carolina won 4-1 |
| Records | Carolina 1-1-1, Montréal 1-0-1 |
| Rest | Carolina with 2 days off, Montréal with 2 days off |
How to watch
| Region | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| Canada | TSN2, RDS |
| United States | CARNHL, HHN |
TSN2 and RDS have it in Canada. Regional coverage can differ from the national listing, and our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.
Canadiens vs Hurricanes odds
No Canadian book had posted a price for this game when we checked on 5 October. Prices for the nearest fixtures go up first and the rest follow. The board for every game sits on our NHL odds page.
What happened in the Conference Finals
Carolina won it 4-1, which sounds comfortable and was not. Montréal took the opener 6-2 in Carolina, then lost the next two in overtime.
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 21 May | Montréal 6-2 Carolina | Carolina |
| 23 May | Carolina 3-2 Montréal (OT) | Carolina |
| 25 May | Carolina 3-2 Montréal (OT) | Montréal |
| 27 May | Carolina 4-0 Montréal | Montréal |
| 29 May | Carolina 6-1 Montréal | Carolina |
Two overtime goals separated a five-game series from a seven-game one. Montréal scored eleven times across the five and six of those came in the opener. Carolina shut them out in game four and scored six in the clincher.
Carolina went on to beat Vegas in the Final. Where both clubs sit now is on our NHL power rankings.
The champions are not scoring
Carolina lost its opener 1-0 in overtime to Florida without scoring. Washington then won 5-2 in Raleigh. Saturday brought a 3-2 overtime win in Philadelphia. One win from three, and five goals in total.
The roster is largely the one that won the Cup. Sebastian Aho put up 80 points last season, Nikolaj Ehlers 71 in his first year there and Andrei Svechnikov 31 goals. Shayne Gostisbehere managed 50 points from defence in only 55 games, and he scored the overtime winner in Philadelphia.
Two names are missing. Seth Jarvis had shoulder surgery in June and was given four to six months. He has skated, but late October is the earliest realistic return. Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned in a contract dispute.
Brandon Bussi went 31-6-2 last season at a 2.47 goals-against average, which means six regulation defeats across 39 appearances, and a goaltender posting that behind a team controlling 59% of shot attempts is how a Cup gets won. Expect regression. It has not started yet.
Montréal has the better young core, and it is a year older
Nick Suzuki put up 101 points at plus 37. Cole Caufield scored 51 goals. Juraj Slafkovský added 30 and Ivan Demidov 62 points at 20 years old.
Lane Hutson decides how far this goes. He had 78 points from defence at plus 36, aged 21. Carolina’s answer in May was to take away his time and space, and it worked.
Chris Kreider arrived from Anaheim and brings 50 points. Noah Dobson added 47 from the other side of the blue line.
Jakub Dobes went 29-10-4 last season at a .901 save percentage. He has started both games so far, winning the opener and taking a point out of a 6-5 overtime defeat in Pittsburgh.
What happened in the regular season
| Date | Result | Venue | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Montréal 7-5 Carolina | Carolina | 12 |
| 2026-03-24 | Montréal 5-2 Carolina | Montréal | 7 |
| 2026-03-29 | Montréal 3-1 Carolina | Carolina | 4 |
Three wins from three, 15-8 on aggregate, and only one of the three finished at six goals or fewer. Montréal won in Carolina twice, including 7-5 on New Year’s Day.
Team news
| Player | Club | Status | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seth Jarvis | Carolina | Injured Reserve, Shoulder | No timetable |
| Alexander Nikishin | Carolina | Unsigned, contract dispute | No date |
| Kaiden Guhle | Montréal | Injured Reserve, Groin | No timetable |
| Oliver Kapanen | Montréal | Day to day | Check the morning skate |
| Alexandre Carrier | Montréal | Day to day | Check the morning skate |
Jarvis is the one that hurts. Thirty-two goals and 66 points in 71 games last season, and Carolina has managed five goals in three without him.
Montréal could be without the player who beat Toronto on opening night. Alexandre Carrier scored that winner and is day to day, as is Oliver Kapanen. Availability league-wide is on the NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Lane Hutson. Seventy-eight points from defence at 21. Carolina spent five games in May working out how to stop him, so this is the first look at what he does with that.
Sebastian Aho. He scored twice in Philadelphia on Saturday, which was two of Carolina’s five goals this season.
Cole Caufield. Fifty-one goals last season, and both of his two this season came in the same game, the 6-5 overtime defeat in Pittsburgh.
Shayne Gostisbehere. Fifty points in 55 games from the blue line, and the overtime winner on Saturday.
Score prediction
Carolina Hurricanes 2-4 Montréal Canadiens. Montréal has won the last three regular-season meetings and is at home with a settled goaltender. Carolina is not scoring, and Jarvis is the player it would normally turn to for that.
Canadiens vs Hurricanes prediction
Weigh the playoff series above the regular-season record. Carolina worked out how to play Montréal across five games in May and won four of them, two in overtime.
But that was a Carolina with Jarvis in it, and a Montréal side that had just been through two rounds. Neither is quite true now. The champions have one win and five goals in three games, and Montréal is at home where it beat Toronto on opening night.
Our lean: Montréal, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower. Two of the three regular-season meetings cleared seven goals, and Carolina’s defence has already conceded five in a game this season. We will add the board when it posts.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Tuesday 6 October 2026 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. That is 6:00pm CT, 5:00pm MT and 4:00pm PT.
Yes. Carolina won the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals 4-1, then beat Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final. Montreal won the opener 6-2 and lost the next two in overtime.
Montreal won all three meetings and outscored Carolina 15-8, including 7-5 in Carolina on New Year’s Day.
No. Jarvis had shoulder surgery in June and is not expected back until late October at the earliest. He scored 32 goals and 66 points last season.
Carolina is 1-1-1 with five goals in three games. Montreal is 1-0-1, having beaten Toronto 3-2 and lost 6-5 in overtime in Pittsburgh.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.