The best thing to do when evaluating a championship series is to completely forget about matchups.
The Vegas Golden Knights made that abundantly clear in the Western Conference Final, where despite being the overwhelming underdog, they came out of the series with a four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche.
So, of course, with a 35-pound silver trophy on the line starting next week, it only makes sense to overanalyze which of the Carolina Hurricanes or Montreal Canadiens would present a tougher test for the Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
All signs point to that being the Hurricanes with a commanding 3-1 series lead heading into Game 5 in Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday.
But in the off chance the Canadiens climb out of this insurmountable hole and find a way to show some offensive life against Carolina, we need to ensure the bases are covered and that both teams are respected in this space.
Carolina Hurricanes
“They come at you in waves.”
Any time you talk to players about the way they want to play, it’s usually the Carolina blueprint.
Relentless forechecking. A lot of shots one way. Not many given up the other. An aggressive, wear-you-down style that will also hit everything that moves.
That sounds a lot like what the Knights have done throughout the postseason.
This would be the “irresistible force” meeting the “immovable object” but you can take your pick on which one is which.
Carolina is not afraid to use its bottom six against the opponent’s star players. Carolina captain Jordan Staal’s line has drawn the primary responsibility of Montreal’s top line – Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. These Hurricanes have outscored the Canadiens 2-1 when on the ice.
After losing 6-2 in Game 1, the Hurricanes have dominated with three straight wins. Even in overtime, the Hurricanes have dominated the shot counter while holding Montreal to virtually no chances. Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes has done all he can, but he’s only one man.
Dobes hasn’t gotten the run support needed for Montreal to have a chance. If that formula stays the same, this series will be over on Friday because Montreal needs to shoot more than a combined 45 times like it did in Games 2-4.
“The shot count is useless for me to look at, to be honest,” Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen said. “You’re still out there for the 60 minutes, you’ve still got to focus the same way. Just pay attention to your process, I think that’s really the key. As a goalie, you get older and you learn that stuff, you get better at it.”
Montreal Canadiens
The rare opportunities Montreal has gotten in the series has been a product of getting behind Carolina’s defense when the rare breakdown occurs.
Most of the Canadiens’ goals have come from on the rush, in transition or on the power play. Carolina’s dam isn’t indestructible. There have been cracks from time to time, but not enough to say there’s confidence Montreal can do it in Game 5.
Because if the Canadiens could combine for just 31 shots in two games at home, where the Bell Center is supposed to be one of the hardest buildings to play against, then there aren’t many chances for the skilled Canadiens to actually take advantage of in the Lenovo Center.
When Montreal is at its best, it’s using its speed and skill. When the likes of Caufield, Suzuki and Ivan Demidov have been swallowed like they have been against Carolina, it puts more pressure on the goaltender.
Dobes has been, arguably, the best goaltender of the postseason given how he won two Game 7s and made massive saves when mattered most.
If there’s one thing the Canadiens can hang their hat on, it’s that they proved in the Game 7 against Tampa Bay in the first round that it’s not about quantity, but quality. Montreal will need to apply that over the next three games if it wants a chance at the Stanley Cup.
“I feel like we have players with the most space with the puck, and we don’t skate enough,” coach Martin St. Louis said. “We pass it to a player with no space, so you kind of play in to their pressure.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
