Positives the Canadiens Can Take Away from Hurricanes Series Defeat

There was a point during the Montreal Canadiens’ Game 5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday when all even-quasi-realistic hope the Habs could come back left the Lenovo Center. It was about midway through the second period when Canes forward Jackson Blake buried the rebound off a Taylor Hall breakaway stop on the part of goalie Jakub Dobes to make it 4-0.

At that point, the Hurricanes had pulled ahead to a greater extent than they had in their Game 4 4-0 shutout victory, when they scored three in the first period, adding a late empty-net goal to bring an end to the scoring. In that game, the Canadiens managed just three shots in the third period, trailing 3-0. Onlookers had no choice but to doubt whether the Habs could even so much as get four more shots on goal to tie Game 5, which the Canes ended up winning 6-1.

To the Canadiens’ credit, while the final score accurately indicated a far worse defeat (in more ways than one), they outshot the Hurricanes 20-15 over the final two periods, while obviously falling way short on the scoreboard. They at least saved some face against an opponent that had outmatched them at every turn since recovering from a decisive 6-2 Game 1 defeat that had many Habs fans initially believing this might be their year. Instead, consecutive 3-2 overtime losses that theoretically could have gone the other way and made for a dramatically different serious outcome, at least were it not for the Habs’ consistent inability to generate offense (or the Canes’ impressive ability to smother them defensively), clearly left them and their fans’ emotionally reeling. Whereas the Hurricanes did in impressive fashion, the Habs could not recover, falling behind in each game, getting outshot a combined 109-43 in Games 2-4.

That’s in large part why Game 5 was so disheartening from a Canadiens perspective. They got outshot again in the first period, this time by a 15-4 margin, spotting the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead similar to in the previous loss. Had they learned nothing? At least, in finishing the final half of the contest on something of a strong note, they showed they had some heart left, even if their playoff lives had effectively run out. That’s probably of little comfort to all Canadiens fans who powerlessly watched their dreams of a first Stanley Cup since 1993 die in the process. Perhaps these additional five positives from their unexpectedly lengthy run will instead:

5. Canadiens Could Have Been up 3-0 (with a Lot of Luck)

There is no denying the Hurricanes dominated the series from Game 2 on, but, in reaching overtime in both Games 2 and 3, as alluded to earlier, the Canadiens at least made a series of it. At least, it could have been a series, had the Habs scored in either of those extra frames. Instead, they got outshot 8-1 in the two games, which further reinforced the degree to which the Hurricanes deserved to win here and move on to their first Final since 2006.

The better team clearly won, making a game of “what if?” pretty pointless. However, it’s nevertheless easy and maybe comforting to imagine an alternate universe in which the Canadiens get a lucky bounce to go ahead 2-0 in Game 2 and then captain Nick Suzuki gets his breakaway attempt at the start of the extra frame in Game 3 to go, thereby draining the fight out of the Hurricanes, instead of the other way around.

4. Canadiens Still Outlasted Sabres and Lightning in Seven-Game Series

Considering the Canadiens had beaten the Hurricanes five straight times, including Game 1 and dating back to the final game of the 2024-25 regular season (which helped the rebuilding Habs clinch their first playoff berth since 2021), it’s at least logical to believe they had a chance in this series, all else being equal. However, considering the Habs had come off grueling seven-game series against the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, the Hurricanes, even if rust had temporarily set in, had a distinct advantage.

No one should take that away from the Hurricanes. They earned that advantage as the best team in the Eastern Conference that impressively dispatched the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the minimum eight total games. However, if you’re a Canadiens fan, as painful as it is to come to grips with it being over this year, you must acknowledge the much harder path to get to Round 3 they experienced as the sixth-ranked team in the NHL… having to go through the fifth and then the fourth-best teams just to face the No. 2 Canes.

Critics of the Canadiens may argue they were lucky to make it this far, and they would have a point were they to look solely at their two Game 7 victories. The Lightning significantly outplayed them, as they hung on for dear life with the score tied 1-1, before Alex Newhook scored the late game-winning goal to make the Habs the first team in NHL playoff history to earn a victory in a game with less than 10 shots on goal. Against the Sabres, they gave up a two-goal lead, before Newhook again made the difference, this time as the first-ever Hab to score a Game 7 overtime winner on the road.

Each of those games could have gone the other way, but to deny how the Canadiens outplayed their opponents for large stretches of those series is to remain blissfully ignorant regarding how much the team has improved with each passing year since they hit rock bottom and finished last in the NHL in 2022. They’re only getting better too. Many of those critics are in for a rude awakening.

3. Canadiens Remain Incredibly Young

According to some sources, the Canadiens were the youngest team to make the playoffs in NHL history in 2025. While those sources are admittedly refutable, officially speaking the Habs were even younger to start 2025-26 at 25.8 years as the youngest team overall in the league, also becoming the youngest one to reach a conference final since the 1993 Canadiens at 25.8 years

The @CanadiensMTL earned their fourth Conference Finals/Semifinals appearance since 2010 (also 2021, 2014 & 2010). Only two teams have more over that span: the Lightning (7) and Rangers (5). #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/BVobN7WggF pic.twitter.com/WXJmx0WojD

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) May 19, 2026

So, it’s reasonable to conclude the Canadiens will continue to improve year over year, at least in the standings, anyway. It’s impossible to predict how the playoffs will go. These playoffs in particular are proof of that, because no one anticipated the Habs reaching this point. Now that they have, though?

Put it this way: There are two schools of thought. The first argues the Canadiens absolutely had to win it all this year, because they can’t guarantee getting this far again, not with as theoretically vulnerable of an opponent as the Vegas Golden Knights awaiting the Hurricanes in the Final. That the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche fell to them in four games speaks to the chaotic nature of the postseason. You must seize your opportunities as they come.

Fair enough. The second school of thought says that the Canadiens are ahead of schedule, will continue to get better and will come across additional opportunities in the future when general manager Kent Hughes deems it worthwhile to fortify his lineup. That point should not be minimized, because the Habs got as far as they did with significant holes in their lineup, without adding reinforcements at the trade deadline.

It’s not that the Canadiens let an opportunity slip through their fingers. It’s that the veteran Hurricanes were built for this. The Habs didn’t so much as have a No. 2 centre. And that’s not a knock on Hughes, because this is his team that has matured into a contender far faster than in anyone’s wildest imaginations.

Come next trade deadline, (fairly safely) assuming the Canadiens are in the mix to make the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine him exercising as much caution as he did on the trade front if holes in his lineup even still remain. This run has effectively given him the unofficial green light to go for it and be even more aggressive. It’s hard to imagine based on his body of work… and yet here we are with the Canadiens having forced Toronto Maple Leafs fans to fervently cheer for Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

2. Jakub Dobes Becomes the Guy

On the subject of goaltending, it’s odd to think back how just a few months ago, Dobes seemed like the odd man out in net between him, backup Jacob Fowler and incumbent Samuel Montembeault. A lot can obviously change between now and next season at this time, based on how much has since the point in time he let in six goals in a March 3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

That was their last game before the deadline, which logically played into Hughes’ decision to stand pat. It was further reinforced by Montembeault’s subsequent 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks the night of, which was even more comedically tragic based on the soft nature of many of the goals allowed. That was Montembeault’s last game, with the lack of quality in his play over the season forcing them to revisit Dobes, who had still been generally good overall, as the go-to guy in net. Dobes promptly rewarded their vote of lack of confidence in Montembeault by going 10-2 with a .936 save percentage (SV%) in his next 12 games. He finished the season with a .901 SV%, which speaks to the degree he levelled up once the Canadiens finally decided to actually play the guy who was consistently getting results, regularly.

Dobes followed that up with a 9-10 postseason performance, during which he earned a 2.66 goals-against average and .908 SV% (and a league-leading 13.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.com). Considering the increased quality of opposition he faced during the postseason and how the average was .896 this past regular season, Dobes has effectively emerged as a legitimate No. 1, when Montembeault, all due respect to him, seemed like more of a placeholder for Fowler.

Now the Canadiens have an embarrassment of riches in net… and beyond.  

1. Canadiens Emerge as Contenders

Whereas the Canadiens’ core beyond defenseman Lane Hutson largely fell short of expectations during the postseason, the same thankfully can’t be said of their depth, which rose to the occasion. It instills confidence in the team’s chances to build on their success these playoffs next year, when players like Newhook, Alexandre Texier, Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach each played critical roles, albeit to varying degrees.

While Jake Evans was miscast once again as a top-six forward due to lack of other options, he undeniably and admirably punched above his weight to the tune of two goals and 10 points in 19 games. That’s the same relatively impressive postseason stat line as fellow-veteran Phillip Danault, who had come over in a maligned mid-season trade with the Los Angeles Kings. He nevertheless proved his worth down the stretch, and, while he only has a single year remaining under contract alongside fellow-depth-forwards Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher (and defenseman Alexandre Carrier), he helps complement a team that, from top to bottom, has proven itself capable of competing against the league’s elite and consistently winning.

Obviously, exceptions exist. Gallagher was an understandable healthy scratch for most of the playoffs. Dach likely will, but won’t necessarily be back as a pending restricted free agent, alongside Bolduc (, depth-forward Joe Veleno and defenseman Arber Xhekaj). Even so, conveniently looking past the work Hughes has to do this offseason, the Canadiens have the makings of a complete team that theoretically should be able to stand toe to toe with the likes of the Hurricanes in the future at this stage of the playoffs as they mature and improve further.

If you go back to the need for overtime twice in this series, the late Noah Dobson goal that (justifiably) got called back, but could have stood as the difference-maker before they even got to that stage in Game 3, and how the Canadiens swept the regular-season series, it’s not that crazy. In fact, it’s very realistic that the Habs find themselves as the higher seeds next time around, without having had to run the gauntlet of the Lightning and Sabres to get to this point. That probably should be the goal for 2026-27… and honestly the only rational next step this team can take (before reaching the Stanley Cup Final). They were closer than the series result and final score of Game 5 may have indicated, but the clearly better team won, this time.

Here’s to the next time.