Hurricanes Aim to Close Out Canadiens in Game 5 of Eastern Conference Final

The Carolina Hurricanes appeared rusty in the opening game of the 2026 Eastern Conference final after experiencing an 11-day layoff and suffered their first loss of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they quickly righted the ship and are one victory away from their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 20 years.

Carolina attempts to secure a meeting with the Vegas Golden Knights for the championship when it hosts the Montreal Canadiens on Friday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. After sweeping both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers , the Hurricanes were defeated 6-2 by the Canadiens in the series opener despite having grabbed the lead just 33 seconds into the contest.

The club promptly took command of the matchup with a pair of 3-2 overtime victories and a dominant 4-0 triumph on Wednesday. Frederik Andersen stopped all 18 shots he faced en route to his league-leading third shutout of the postseason and Logan Stankoven scored his team-best eighth goal for the Hurricanes, who went 1-16 in losing four straight Eastern Conference Final appearances since defeating the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 for their lone Stanley Cup championship.

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The shutout was the eighth of Andersen's playoff career and fifth with Carolina, a franchise record. The 36-year-old Danish goaltender also lowered his goals-against average this postseason to an NHL-best 1.44 as he has surrendered more than two tallies just once in 12 games.

Sebastian Aho , captain Jordan Staal and Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period for top-seeded Carolina, which improved to 6-0 on the road in these playoffs. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal, while Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each recorded a pair of assists.

Ehlers (two goals, two assists) leads the Hurricanes with four points in the conference final while five players have collected three points. Svechnikov and Eric Robinson also have scored twice in the series.

Phillip Danault (one goal, three assists) tops the Canadiens with four points, while Juraj Slafkovsky (two, one), Cole Caufield (one, two) and captain Nick Suzuki (three assists) all have recorded three. Josh Anderson is tied with Slafkovsky for the team lead with two goals.

The NHL betting odds at the major sportsbooks see the Hurricanes as massive favorites in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, as they are listed around -232 on the money line. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are priced at about +189. Carolina, which opened the scoring in each of the first four games of the series, is -170 at DraftKings Sportsbook to extend the streak on Friday. Learn how to read betting odds here .

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL GAME 5

TEAM

DRAFTKINGS

FANDUEL

CAESARS

BETMGM

Carolina Hurricanes

-225

-240

-225

-235

Montreal Canadiens

+185

+195

+185

+190

Hurricanes vs. Canadiens Game 5 best bets

- Frederik Andersen Under 18.5 saves (-105, BetMGM) - K'Andre Miller 1+ assists (+176, FanDuel)

Frederik Andersen Under 18.5 saves

The Hurricanes allowed 22 or more shots in every game of their first-round series against the Senators but have been stingier with each passing matchup. Carolina limited Philadelphia to fewer than 20 shots in three of their four contests and has given up fewer than 19 in each of the last three games of the conference final. Since making 34 saves in Game 2 of the second round, Andersen has turned aside no more than 18 shots in any of his last six outings. The Hurricanes permitted only 12 shots in the last game at Lenovo Center, and considering they are one win away from advancing, I expect them to clamp down just as tightly in order to prevent Andersen from seeing a lot of vulcanized rubber on Friday.

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K'Andre Miller 1+ assists

Miller has been receiving praise for his defensive play in the postseason, but he's also been contributing at the other end of the ice. The 26-year-old blue-liner is third on the Hurricanes with eight assists in the playoffs, one behind co-leaders Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake . Miller, who was acquired from the New York Rangers last July, entered this year's playoffs with nine assists in 43 career postseason games. There's been a trend with Miller's assists, as he set up a goal in each of the final three games of both of Carolina's first two series. Since he enters Game 5 with an assist in each of the previous two contests, I like that pattern to continue as the Canes look to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/nhl-picks-hurricanes-look-to-finish-off-canadiens-in-game-5-of-eastern-conference-final/)._