Canadiens face Hurricanes in East

The NHL’s conference-final field was set on May 21 with the Montreal Canadiens facing the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference and the Colorado Avalanche meeting the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference. NHL.com published the full conference-finals schedule and broadcast listings on Thursday after Montreal advanced to complete the final four. The matchups paired Carolina, the Metropolitan Division regular-season champion, with a Canadiens team that came through the Atlantic side of the bracket. In the West, Colorado’s top regular-season finish set up a series against Vegas. ### How did Montreal complete the Eastern Conference matchup? Montreal clinched its place by beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in overtime in Game 7 on May 18, according to NHL.com’s playoff scoreboard. That result finalized the Eastern Conference final as Canadiens-Hurricanes after Carolina had already advanced from the other side of the bracket. Carolina had a longer wait. NHL.com’s conference-finals preview said the Hurricanes entered the round after sweeping their first two playoff series, while the Canadiens arrived through a longer route that included a seven-game second-round series. ### Why is Carolina drawing so much attention entering the series? Carolina reached the conference final as the Eastern Conference’s top regular-season team, and NHL.com described the Hurricanes as one of the postseason’s teams to beat. The league’s playoff preview said Carolina and Colorado both looked to “keep rolling” into the final four. CBS Sports, in a Game 1 betting preview, said Carolina became the first team in NHL history to sweep its first two best-of-seven series. That left the Hurricanes entering Game 1 with extra rest before opening the series at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. ### What makes Colorado’s path stand out in the West? Colorado finished first in the NHL during the regular season and went 8-1 through the first two rounds, NHL.com said in its conference-finals preview. The Avalanche opened the Western Conference final at Ball Arena in Denver against Vegas. Vegas struck first in the series. NHL.com’s schedule page showed the Golden Knights leading the Western Conference final 1-0 heading into Game 2 on May 22, after the teams opened on May 20. ### What was the schedule for the opening games? NHL.com listed Game 1 of Canadiens-Hurricanes for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. EDT. The same schedule page listed Game 2 for Saturday, May 23, before the series shifted to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday, May 25. The Western Conference final began earlier. NHL.com’s schedule page showed Game 1 of Golden Knights-Avalanche on Wednesday, May 20, with Game 2 set for Friday, May 22. ### Where were the games available to watch? NHL.com’s conference-finals schedule page included the television and streaming listings for each game. The league’s main schedule page showed Canadiens-Hurricanes Game 1 carrying TNT, truTV and HBO Max, while Golden Knights-Avalanche Game 2 was listed on ESPN. The Athletic also published a separate conference-finals viewing guide covering Golden Knights-Avalanche and Canadiens-Hurricanes. NHL.com remained the league’s central page for dates, times, results and broadcast information as the round began. ### What comes next in the bracket? Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final between Montreal and Carolina was scheduled for May 21 at Lenovo Center, according to NHL.com. Game 2 in the West between Vegas and Colorado was scheduled for May 22 at Ball Arena, with updated results and TV listings posted on NHL.com’s conference-finals schedule page.