Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final after Alex Newhook scored at 11:22 of overtime in a 3-2 Game 7 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at KeyBank Center. NHL.com said Carolina had been waiting since May 9, when it finished a second-round sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-2 overtime win. The matchup completes the Eastern bracket and gives the Hurricanes home ice after they opened the postseason with consecutive sweeps. ### How did this matchup finally get set? Monday, May 18, was the night the East was decided. Montreal eliminated Buffalo in overtime after Newhook scored his second Game 7 winner of the postseason, sending the Canadiens into the third round against a Carolina team that had already been idle for nine days. (nhl.com) Carolina reached the conference final before any other team in the East. NHL.com said the Hurricanes swept the Ottawa Senators in the first round and the Flyers in the second, becoming the first team to start a postseason 8-0 since the NHL moved to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987. (nhl.com) ### Why has Carolina been off so long? May 9 is the key date in this series setup. Carolina’s second-round series ended that night in Philadelphia, and ESPN’s conference-final preview said the Hurricanes had not played since then before the opponent was settled on Wednesday. (nhl.com) ESPN framed the layoff as an early subplot because Montreal arrived through a seven-game series while Carolina came in after the minimum eight games through two rounds. NHL.com’s series page similarly described Carolina as “finally returning to ice” after consecutive sweeps, while noting Montreal’s power play as a factor entering the matchup. (nhl.com) ### What does each team’s path tell you about the series? The Hurricanes took the shortest route available. NHL.com said Carolina beat Ottawa 4-0 and Philadelphia 4-0, while Montreal needed seven games to get past the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and seven more to eliminate Buffalo in the second. (nhl.com) Montreal’s route has been heavier but tested. The Canadiens were the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 seed, and their second-round win came on the road in Buffalo. Carolina, listed by NHL.com as the Metropolitan Division regular-season champion, opens the series at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. (nhl.com) ### Is there real history between these franchises? NHL.com pointed to 2006 when the franchises met in a six-game playoff series. That remains the main postseason reference point in league coverage ahead of this conference final. The current series also puts two franchises with very different recent arcs into the same round. (nhl.com) NHL.com said Carolina is in the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight season and the third time in four seasons. Montreal arrived there by extending its postseason through two seven-game series. (nhl.com) ### When and where does the series start? Thursday, May 21, is the opener. The NHL’s conference finals schedule says Game 1 is in Raleigh at 8 p.m. ET, with ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports carrying the game. The Hurricanes announced the same schedule on May 18 after the league confirmed the matchup window. NHL.com’s schedule page lists the full best-of-seven slate for the Eastern Conference Final, with Carolina holding home ice against Montreal. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) (media.nhl.com)