Sport
The Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre on Tuesday night for their home opener — against the Carolina Hurricanes, the very team that knocked them out last spring before going on to win the Stanley Cup. The defending champions won 6-4 in an open game that gave fans reasons for hope and for worry in roughly equal measure.
A loaded backdrop
Last spring the Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference final before falling to Carolina in five games. The Hurricanes then beat the Vegas Golden Knights to lift the Cup. So the home opener was both a rematch and a first serious test.
The game
The teams combined for five goals in the first thirteen minutes. Taylor Hall opened the scoring after a Juraj Slafkovsky turnover in front of the Montreal net. Zachary Bolduc answered less than a minute later, then Nick Suzuki put the Canadiens ahead. After Eric Robinson tied it, Bolduc struck again on the power play to make it 3-2 after twenty minutes.
The second period changed everything. Sebastian Aho tied it on the man advantage, and Mark Jankowski capitalised on a Noah Dobson giveaway to put Carolina in front. The Hurricanes never looked back, and Andrei Svechnikov sealed it into an empty net.
The numbers that matter
- Zachary Bolduc: two goals, one on the power play
- Nick Suzuki: a goal and an assist
- Juraj Slafkovsky: one goal
- Alexandre Texier and Chris Kreider: two assists each
- Jakub Dobes: 28 saves
- For Carolina: Taylor Hall two goals, Sebastian Aho a goal and two assists
Montreal now stand at 1-1-1 after three games.
What to take from it
The offence is producing, and Bolduc looks determined to take on a bigger role. But two of Carolina’s goals came straight from turnovers in the defensive zone, and another came on a penalty kill. Against a team of this calibre, those are exactly the details that decide games. The good news: they are also the easiest to fix in October.
New to hockey in Montreal?
The regular season now runs to 84 games per team and stretches into spring. In Montreal the Canadiens are more than a sports team: they are a daily topic of conversation, at the office and at the dépanneur alike. Simply following the results is one of the easiest ways to feel part of the city.
If you want to go to a game, buy through the official box office or a recognised resale platform. Be wary of tickets sold through social media or classified-ad sites — that is where the scams concentrate.
