The Carolina Hurricanes are set to kick off their Eastern Conference Final series against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. The Hurricanes will be looking to stay perfect this post-season by defeating the Habs in Game 1. The Hurricanes have undoubtedly had an excellent start to the playoffs. After finishing this season at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Hurricanes swept both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers this post-season. Due to this, it is not surprising that they are viewed as the favorites heading into their series against the Canadiens. ESPN certainly has high hopes for the Hurricanes heading into the Eastern Conference Final. This is because 21 out of 23 ESPN staff members have picked the Hurricanes [https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/48819378/nhl-playoffs-2026-stanley-cup-bracket-picks-matchups-series] to defeat the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final. With the Hurricanes having an incredibly deep roster and having such a hot start to the playoffs, it is understandable that they are being viewed as favorites by ESPN right now. While this is the case, the Canadiens cannot be taken lightly, as they have knocked out two very good teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres this post-season. It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can knock out the Canadiens from here.
