Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes Odds, Picks & Predictions - Game 2 - 05/23

In the lone game on the docket, the Montreal Canadiens are on the road as they travel to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series Saturday night and we have you covered with our Canadiens vs. Hurricanes prediction. Game 1 of the series went to the visitors as the Canadiens rolled to a 6-2 triumph, drawing first blood in the series. Will Montreal find a way to a 2-0 series lead or can Carolina get back in the win column?

Let’s break down this Canadiens vs. Hurricanes matchup.

Canadiens Seeking to Take Control of Series

Montreal was shaky on the game’s first shift but got themselves together shortly thereafter. The Canadiens took advantage of a rusty Hurricanes squad to take Game 1 and home ice advantage. Montreal shoots to take a commanding 2-0 lead here.

In Game 1, Montreal exploded offensively in the first period and controlled things from there. The Canadiens faced a 14-13 disadvantage in shots in the opening period but skated off with a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes. Montreal gave up the first goal of the game but knotted the game on Cole Caufield’s fifth goal of the playoffs at the 1:00 mark. Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki drew the assists. Philip Danault gave Montreal a 2-1 lead at 4:04 with his second goal of the playoffs. Alexandre Carrier drew the lone assist. Alexandre Texier made 3-1 at 8:11 with his fourth postseason marker. Danault and Kaiden Guhle earned helpers on that marker. Ivan Demidov’s third goal of the playoffs at 11:32 staked Montreal to a 4-1 edge. Alex Newhook and Jake Evans picked up the assists.

In the second period, Montreal lost the shot battle 11-3 and was outscored 1-0. That trimmed the margin to 4-2 at the second intermission. In the third period, Montreal held a 6-2 edge in shots and a 2-0 margin on the scoreboard, securing the win. Slafkovsky made it 5-2 with his fifth playoff goal at the 7:05 mark. Suzuki and Caufield drew the assists. Later in the period, Slafkovsky closed the scoring with his second of the night and sixth of the playoffs at 17:32 with an empty net goal. Suzuki drew the lone assist.

Jakub Dobes made 25 saves for the Canadiens, who were outshot 27-22, in the win. Dobes (9-6-0, 2.48 GAA, .911 save percentage) expects to be in net here for Montreal.

Hurricanes Try to Regroup From First Postseason Defeat

Carolina won their first eight playoff games but took a beating in Game 1 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes hadn’t allowed more than two goals in a postseason game before giving up four in the opening 20 minutes. They never recovered and the big question is whether the extended break led to rust in the opener.

In Game 1, Carolina jumped in front almost immediately but didn’t maintain that momentum. The Hurricanes owned a 14-13 edge in shots in the opening period but trailed 4-1 on the scoreboard at the first intermission. Seth Jarvis opened the scoring 33 seconds into the game with assists going to Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes gave up the equalizer 27 seconds later and three more goals before the period was over. In the second period, Carolina held an 11-3 edge in shots and scored the lone goal of the period. That got them within 4-2 after 40 minutes. Eric Robinson scored his first of the playoffs at 2:46 to make it a two-goal game. William Carrier drew the lone assist. In the third period, Carolina was outshot 6-2 and outscored 2-0 to seal the loss.

Frederik Andersen stopped 16 shots for Carolina, who owned a 27-22 edge in shots, in the loss. Andersen (8-1-0, 1.51 GAA, .932 save percentage, two shutouts) projects as the starting goaltender here.

Stats to Know

Montreal is:

• 6th in the league in the postseason in scoring offense (3.27 goals per game)
• Tied for 5th in goals against (2.67 goals per game)
• 6th in power play success (24.1%)
• 13th in penalty killing (75%)

Carolina is:

• 9th in the league in the postseason in scoring offense (2.89 goals per game)
• 1st in goals against (3.00)
• 12th in power play success (12.8%)
• 2nd in penalty killing (95.2%)

Canadiens vs. Hurricanes Prediction

Montreal was strong in Game 1 though admittedly some of that is attributed to emotion. Carolina’s previous contest was May 9, a full 12 days before Game 1, so rust was clearly a factor. The Hurricanes were punched squarely in the mouth in their series opening defeat and seek to regroup. Carolina hadn’t surrendered more than two goals in a game before their meltdown in the opening period Wednesday. The Hurricanes aren’t likely to follow up a dud performance with a second one. Therefore, look for Carolina to strike back with a vengeance to even the series.

Our Prediction: Hurricanes -1.5 (Fanatics, +125)

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