RALEIGH — Once again, Carolina grabbed an early lead over the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.
And once again, the Canadiens answered right back.
The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game when Eric Robinson deflected a shot from William Carrier. The Canadiens tied the game on a goal by Josh Anderson with 8:49 remaining in the first period.
In Game 1, Carolina scored 33 seconds into the game, but Montreal tied it 27 seconds later with the first of four first-period goals en route to a 6-2 win.
The Canes were determined to play their style in Game 2 after getting dominated by the Canadiens in the first game. And they did so for most of the first period, pressing the action in Montreal’s defensive zone and limiting the Canadiens’ chances.
Carolina is 1-13 in its four Eastern Conference Final appearances under coach Rod Brind’Amour since 2019. Just one team in NHL history has won a best-of-seven series in this round of the playoffs after losing the first two games at home.
Game 3 is Monday night in Montreal.
