Hurricanes begin Eastern Conference Final series hosting Canadiens Thursday night
RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. in Raleigh as the Hurricanes open the best-of-seven series at home.
Carolina enters with a 53-22-7 record and went 33-10-2 at home during the regular season. Montreal comes in at 48-24-10 and posted a 30-10-9 road record.
The teams met three times during the regular season, with Montreal winning all three matchups, including a 3-1 victory on March 29.
Carolina has been strong in games where opponents take more penalty minutes, posting a 30-6-3 record in those contests.
The Hurricanes are led offensively by Sebastian Aho, who has 27 goals and 53 assists. Logan Stankoven has seven goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
Montreal is paced by Nicholas Suzuki, who has 29 goals and 72 assists. Alexander Newhook has seven goals and two assists over his last 10 games.
Carolina enters the series on a 9-0-1 run over its last 10 games, allowing 1.3 goals per game during that stretch. Montreal is 6-3-1 over its last 10.
No injuries are listed for Carolina. Montreal forward Patrik Laine is out with an abdominal injury.
Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. in Raleigh, followed by Game 3 on Monday at 8 p.m.
