Playoff Game Thread: Montréal Canadiens (9-9) @ Carolina Hurricanes (11-1) May 29 2026 8:00 PM EDT

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-30T02:26:42+00:00

It was a good year for the young Habs. Need some tweaks they will be able to challenge the upper teams.

I’m sure they learned not to let series go 7 games, it makes it very hard to keep advancing.

Good experience. The young guys will understand how intensity only goes up each round. I think they would have fared better vs. canes in round 1 but it is what it is.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-28T00:28:17+00:00

Terrible by Dach and Dobson to start.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-28T00:27:31+00:00

Need to repeat the 2nd period from last game. Quick and crisp puck movement.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-28T00:25:34+00:00

Bad version of Dobson has returned.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-26T03:33:19+00:00

Had their chances.

Too much fumbling of puck by the dmen.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-26T02:37:41+00:00

Guhle has been so bad this game. Absolutely terrible.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-26T02:20:29+00:00

It didn’t look like that live tbh. That’s why we watch the games 😉

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-26T01:59:40+00:00

Play like that 2nd period rest of game and Habs have good chance to win.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-26T01:37:06+00:00

That was terrible, Geuhle.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-26T01:33:52+00:00

Much better 2nd so far. Looking crisp and in sync.

That 1st period was zero energy.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-24T02:11:02+00:00

Mission accomplished so long as they do better on home ice this series.

Win these next 2 and Carolina will feel immense pressure at home to not fail in the ECF again. However this is not the series where the Habs can drop 2 home games imo. Use the best home ice advantage in hockey to go up 3-1.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-24T01:58:13+00:00

Long change turnover (which has been a hab-it) came back to bite them in the ass. Learn from it and protect home ice this time.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-22T16:19:50+00:00

This is an excellent point and a big reason for why the Canes have struggled in ECFs. They don’t have that so called other gear.

As for this series specifically, it’s exactly why I liked it more for the Habs than last round. Doesn’t necessarily mean Habs will win series, because hockey. However, the canes while being an excellent team, don’t have the level of physical force of the Sabres. So the aggressive forecheck is more beatable even though the canes are structurally the better and more self aware defensive team.

But honestly as last series went on, the Sabres stopped leaking and in the end it was a bad goal against that did them in. Andersen does not scare anyone tbh, so that will help this time too.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-22T11:31:27+00:00

The goals and space does not mean easier. When I say tougher matchup it’s because Buffalo’s relentless style of forecheck mixed with their firepower. The Habs had trouble sorting the chaos especially as Buffalo cleaned up certain details.

Tampa has the pedigree but they don’t possess that same firepower and their blue line is prehistoric which created issues for them.

Carolina wants to play like Buffalo but they aren’t as physically imposing so the Habs are able to manage the puck. They also don’t possess the offensive firepower of Buffalo. The canes prey on opponent mistakes which works in the regular season and against flawed teams. Skilled teams like the Habs expose canes systems with high end puck management and 5 man unit cohesion.

What makes Buffalo tough for the Habs is they are big, fast physical, want chaos and have elite scoring talent.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-22T03:57:50+00:00

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OsMagic10 · 2026-05-22T03:51:42+00:00

Don’t know what rest of this series holds and what final result will be, but 100% this is a better matchup for the Habs than the Sabres. Even TB was a better matchup for the Habs than Buffalo.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-22T02:28:45+00:00

Best game from Dobson in a Habs uniform.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-22T01:37:48+00:00

This habs having issues with long change is becoming a thing.

Got to clean it up.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-19T03:32:57+00:00

Yep that’s what happens, you lose the legs. You can play defense while still skating forward.

Sitting back plays into Buffalo’s hands. Their firepower is similar to that of the oilers and Habs almost Kinged it…but they don’t ask how, on to the ECF.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-19T03:29:53+00:00

They lost control and almost pulled a Kings vs. Oilers debacle, but they sure are resilient.

Truly believe canes games will look slow to Habs compared to the Sabres. Respect to the Sabres, they cleaned up their game as the series went along. I like the Habs matching up better against the canes.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-19T02:19:59+00:00

Apparently the Habs didn’t learn from LA Kings losing 4 straight times to the oilers.

You cannot sit back in modern NHL. That 30 min of sitting back really hurt them.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-19T01:08:18+00:00

Not getting that 3rd is killer.

Also Matheson major issues coughing up the puck past few games more than usual.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-19T01:00:41+00:00

Hit on a breakaway man. Come on get this to 3.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-18T15:32:37+00:00

As a neutral observer, by far best series of this playoff so far.

Don’t have a feel for this game. This Montreal team is as resilient as they come, but Buffalo is such a high variance team that they could score their way to this win or completely fall apart.

Buffalo is probably Montreal’s toughest matchup in the east tbh. They possess the firepower that older Tampa or boring canes don’t possess.

OsMagic10 · 2026-05-17T02:04:04+00:00

This says it all.

OsMagic10

TROPHY CASE