Game 40: Montreal Canadiens @ Carolina Hurricanes

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Hurricanes region: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+

The Montreal Canadiens have already had a good road trip coming out of the Christmas break, amassing three points in two games that will ensure at least an even record in the three games played versus Eastern Conference teams, those points coming against the Atlantic Division opponents to boot. You can add a win over the Boston Bruins in the last game before Christmas to that important run, five of six points versus division foes, and 10 of 12 on what is a six-game point streak.

Today’s game is against a Carolina Hurricanes team that is going to finish as one of the seeded clubs in the Metropolitan Division and wouldn’t be in a competition with the Habs for a wild-card spot should that be Montreal’s fate at the end of the season, so this match is an opportunity to earn some bonus points.

It’s never easy to get a good result versus the Hurricanes, an annual Stanley Cup contender. In fact, coming out of the COVID season, the Canadiens went three seasons without winning a game, claiming just a single point from a shootout loss in nine games played. But as Montreal’s fortunes have changed at this time of year, so too has their play versus Carolina. Last year they won the season series 2-1, and that included a critical win in game 82 of the season that secured a berth in the playoffs.

Even then, they still didn’t beat the Hurricanes on the road, losing 4-1 in the game played at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. Their last win in Carolina was on April 7, 2016, with the Hurricanes winning the 12 meetings played at home since. Today will therefore present another measuring-stick game for the Canadiens as they become more competitive and challenge the top teams in the league.

Tale of the Tape

Canadiens
Statistics
Hurricanes

21-12-6
Record
24-12-3

49.0% (21st)
Expected-goal share
55.2% (2nd)

3.28 (6th)
Goals per game
3.23 (9th)

3.26 (23rd)
Goals against per game
2.90 (12th)

25.0% (5th)
PP%
17.8% (22nd)

77.8% (23rd)
PK%
79.4% (19th)

2-1-0
Head-to-Head Record (24-25)
1-2-0

Cole Caufield (19)
Most goals
Seth Jarvis (19)

Nick Suzuki (31)
Most assists
Shayne Gostisbehere (25)

Nick Suzuki (44)
Most points
Sebastian Aho (35)

Montreal does catch the Hurricanes at a time when they’re not at their usual level. They went into the Christmas break on their first three-game losing streak of the season, and most recently suffered a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ve given up five goals in three of those four regulation losses, something they had done only two times in the first 34 games of the year.

A familiar story of poor goaltending has affected them this season. It’s an area that the organization has tried to make just good enough in this current era, focusing its resources on its skater corps rather than making large commitments to goaltenders. Frederik Anderson, with his $2.75-million cap hit, has an .865 save percentage and a rather shocking 5-9-2 record on what currently ranks as the NHL’s fourth-best team. Pyotr Kochetkov ($2 million) was hitting the franchise standard of “good enough” with an .899 mark to hold a 6-2 record, but has since been placed on Injured Reserve with a hip injury and won’t return this season.

Perhaps they have finally found what they’ve been looking for in Brandon Bussi ($775,000). After spending several years in the minors, including a four-game stint in the ECHL in 2022-23, Bussi finally made an NHL roster at age 27 this year, and has been doing well. He sports a .912 save percentage, exceeding the required performance that the Hurricanes need, and the result has been a 13-1-1 record.

The Canadiens will be facing Bussi today, a goaltender who averages just about two goals against per game; he’s only given up more than two once in his last six starts. The one regulation loss came back on October 25, so he enters today’s game on a personal 12-game point streak.

The Habs’ best chance is to put in the work to draw some calls and go to work on the power play. Carolina has been one of the league’s best penalty-killing clubs in recent years, but that isn’t the case in 2025-26 as they rank in the bottom half of the league at a 79.4% efficiency. As good as Bussi has been overall, that’s a situation he struggles in with just a .787 save percentage while one of his teammates sits in the box, accounting for 10 of the 32 goals he’s given up this season.

Montreal has dealt with key injuries all season long, and isn’t going to feel any sympathy for the Hurricanes missing several regulars from the lineup. Seth Jarvis hasn’t played since December 19, but the biggest losses will be felt on the blue line with both team assist leader Shayne Gostisbehere and Team USA Olympic hopeful Jaccob Slavin listed as day-to-day. Those losses affect the Hurricanes’ play at both ends of the ice, and present an opportunity for Montreal to claim an elusive win in Carolina.