Well, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] had a great run this spring. A run that took the NHL by surprise, but it came to a grinding halt against a superior team, the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes]. The Habs can at least say that they weren’t swept, but they were still beaten four times in a row, something that hadn’t happened to them since November (that included an overtime loss, but so did this streak). Martin St-Louis shocked most pundits by electing not only to stick with the same lineups but also to keep the same lines and pairings. Arber Xhekaj took the warm-up, but in the end, he was once again scratched. It’s strange that in the first round, when he realized that things weren’t going right for his group, St-Louis made the adjustments needed, but in the Eastern Conference Final, for some reason, he refused to do it. It doesn’t send a great message to someone like Brendan Gallagher, who has been biding his time, hoping for another opportunity to give his all for the Sainte-Flanelle. Former Canadiens Goaltender Reacts To Lemieux's Death [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/former-canadiens-goaltender-reacts-to-lemieuxs-death] Suzuki Named 48th Top NHL Player In 2026 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/suzuki-named-48th-top-nhl-player-in-2026] The Canadiens Are Not There Yet [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/the-canadiens-are-not-there-yet] GROUNDHOG DAY Straight from the puck drop, the Hurricanes had a two-on-one, and while they didn’t score, it didn’t bode well for the Canadiens. Within 10 minutes, the Hurricanes had taken a 1-0 lead, despite a coach challenge for goalie interference. By the end of the first frame, Rod Brind’Amour’s men were up 3-0 just like they were on Wednesday night. Carolina had 15 shots in those first 20 minutes while the Canadiens could only muster four, despite having two power play opportunities. Essentially, it made it look like the game was going to be a remix of Montreal’s last three defeats, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. MAN DOWN In Game 4 on Wednesday, it looked like Kaiden Guhle suffered a knee injury, and that’s more than likely why Xhekaj took the warmup on Friday night. Ultimately, Guhle elected to play, and in the second frame, he took a long time to get back up after falling onto the ice. When he got back up, pain was written all over his face. He’s a hockey player; he was never going to want to miss the game. Knowing how high the stakes were, though, it was up to the coaching staff to tell him they needed players who would be able to perform at their best for this do-or-die game. If they’re able to keep Brendan Gallagher in the press gallery because he doesn’t have the same level of energy as he once did, they should also be able to tell a player he’s not fit to compete. BACK TO THE BASICS In the final frame, down 5-0, Jake Evans got a puck in space by the net, and instead of taking the shot, he attempted a backhand pass. That right there was the embodiment of what went wrong for the Canadiens in this series. Or at least of the things they could control that went wrong. Because make no mistake, the Canadiens didn’t beat themselves, the Hurricanes beat them fair and square. Still, you need to shoot to score goals, there’s no two-way around that simple fact. And so ended the Canes' frustrating run of unsuccessful Conference Final appearances, with a 6-1 win in Game 5. Brind’Amour’s team will now face the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] in the Stanley Cup Final starting on Tuesday. As for the Canadiens, they’ll go back home to Montreal, hold their exit meetings, and then head to their summer destination to heal the bumps, bruises, and ailments they’ve no doubt picked up along the way. While this wasn’t the ending they had dreamt about, this young team can still be proud of having made it to the third round in what was, after all, just the fourth year of its rebuild. Throughout those six weeks of playoff action, the young Habs will have picked up a wealth of experience that will no doubt help them progress in the coming years, just like their early exit against the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals] last season did. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. 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