The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]’ top line might not have been firing on all cylinders in the first two rounds, but captain Nick Suzuki still managed to get his fair share of points. While most of them came on the power play before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes], they still count. In Thursday’s game, Suzuki had a hand in three of the Canadiens’ six goals, all scored at even strength. He assisted on Cole Caufield’s game-tying goal in the first period and on both of Juraj Slafkovsky’s tallies in the final period, playing a big role in the Habs’ rout of the Hurricanes. Canadiens' Jakub Dobes Continuing To Make NHL History [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-jakub-dobes-continuing-to-make-nhl-history] Canadiens’ Burrows Played Big Role In The Win [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-burrows-played-big-role-in-the-win] The Canadiens Took Carolina By Storm [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/the-canadiens-took-carolina-by-storm] After 15 playoff games, the 26-year-old now has 16 points, which is not a record in Canadiens’ history. However, the fact that 14 of those points came on the road is. The four goals he has scored have all come away from the Bell Centre, helping the Canadiens earn the nickname of Road Warriors. With Thursday night’s effort, he took the team lead in scoring, two points ahead of defenseman Lane Hutson. The first game of the third round was quite promising for the Canadiens, who finally saw their top line erupt at even strength. While the Habs did manage to make it all the way to the conference final, their odds of eliminating Carolina would be greatly increased if their top line could contribute just like it did in Game 1 for the rest of the series. The Canadiens will take on the Hurricanes in Game 2 on Saturday night in Raleigh, and a second road win would give them a stronghold in the series. Over recent years, Carolina has been a regular in the conference final but has struggled to win any game in that round. In their last four appearances, including this one, they are now 1-13, and one can wonder if the Habs didn’t plant the seed of doubt in the Canes’ heads with their dominant win. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
