Hurricanes to face Canadiens in Eastern Conference Final

The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are down to four teams, and the Eastern Conference Final is set between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens. NHL.com’s conference-finals schedule lists Carolina-Montreal in the East and the Colorado Avalanche against the Vegas Golden Knights in the West. (nhl.com) ESPN’s playoff bracket shows the same final four. (nhl.com) Montreal already has the early edge in the East. NHL.com’s scoreboard shows the Canadiens beat the Hurricanes 6-2 in Game 1 on May 21. In the West, Vegas opened with a 4-2 win over Colorado on May 20, according to NHL.com. (nhl.com) Here’s the cleanest way to understand where the bracket stands and what comes next. ### Which teams are left in the Stanley Cup race? Carolina, Montreal, Colorado and Vegas are the last four teams remaining in the 2026 playoffs. NHL.com confirmed those conference-final matchups on May 18, saying the Western final would feature the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche against the Golden Knights, while the Eastern final would match the Hurricanes against either Buffalo or Montreal; Montreal later advanced and took the spot. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) ESPN’s playoff hub also lists Hurricanes-Canadiens and Avalanche-Golden Knights as the two semifinal series now underway. (nhl.com) ### How did Montreal get here? Montreal reached the Eastern Conference Final by beating Buffalo in seven games. The Hockey News reported that the Canadiens eliminated the Sabres with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 7. That result finalized the East matchup with Carolina. (media.nhl.com) Carolina entered the round after sweeping Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s bracket. DIRECTV Insider described the Hurricanes as undefeated entering the conference finals. (espn.com) ### What happened in the opening games? Montreal took Game 1 against Carolina by a 6-2 score on May 21. NHL.com’s game listing says four different Canadiens scored in the first period, and the site’s East-final coverage says Montreal’s top line produced at even strength in the opener. Vegas won the Western opener 4-2 over Colorado on May 20. The Hockey News said former Vancouver Canucks helped shape Game 1 wins for both Vegas and Montreal. (thehockeynews.com) ### When is the next Hurricanes-Canadiens game? Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final is scheduled for May 23 at 7 p.m. (espn.com) EDT in Carolina. NHL.com lists TNT, truTV and HBO Max as the U.S. outlets for that game. Game 3 is scheduled for May 25 at 8 p.m. EDT in Montreal, followed by Game 4 on May 27 and, if necessary, Game 5 on May 29. NHL.com has the full game-by-game schedule for the series. (nhl.com) ### What is the Western Conference setup? Colorado and Vegas are meeting in the Western Conference Final after Colorado finished the regular season with the Presidents’ Trophy, NHL.com said. (nhl.com) The league’s May 18 announcement said the series began May 20 in Denver. NHL.com’s current schedule shows Vegas leading that series 1-0, with Game 2 set for May 22 and Game 3 scheduled for May 24 in Las Vegas. ### Where can fans track dates and TV information? NHL.com has the official conference-finals schedule, with dates, start times, broadcast listings and results for both best-of-seven series. (nhl.com) DIRECTV Insider also published a TV guide on May 22 that lists the conference-final matchups and viewing information. The next scheduled Eastern game is Hurricanes-Canadiens Game 2 on May 23, and the next scheduled Western game after that is Avalanche-Golden Knights Game 3 on May 24, according to NHL.com’s conference-finals page. (nhl.com) (media.nhl.com) (nhl.com)