George Richards, FHN Publisher
There is no doubt the atmosphere at Bell Centre in Montreal was absolutely electric Monday night for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes.
Again, however, the Canadiens let the home crowd saunter into the streets with some disappointment.
Although the Canadiens tied the score twice, in overtime it was Andrei Svechnikov scoring to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 win in Game 3 — and a 2-1 series lead.
It’s the first time in this postseason the Canadiens have lost back-to-back games after dropping Game 2 in overtime as well.
Game 4 is back in Montreal Wednesday at 8 (TNT/truTV).
The Canadiens are now 2-5 in playoff games on home ice this postseason with three straight losses dating to the Round 2 series against the Sabres.
South Florida’s Shayne Gostisbehere got the scoring going for the Hurricanes at 8:24 of the first — only to see former Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson tie it up.
Taylor Hall made it 2-1 going into the second before Lane Hutson scored on the power play to tie it again.
Jakub Dobes made 35 saves in the loss. The Canadiens again struggled to get anything at the net, being held to 13 shots. Frederik Andersen stopped 11 of them.
NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW/NHL NEWS
- The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t taking anything for granted despite a commanding 3-0 lead going into tonight’s Game 4.
- The Colorado Avalanche are in big trouble if Nathan MacKinnon is out.
- The Florida Panthers could have a pretty interesting offseason — perhaps more so than we originally thought.
- Mitch Marner looks pretty good this postseason, eh?
- Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs seem to be OK right now.
- Time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to go young?
- Looking at the best centers in the 2026 draft.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- IIHF World Championship, Switzerland: Through May 31
- NHL Draft (9th in First Round, Seven Overall): June 26-27; KeyBank Center, Buffalo
- NHL Free Agency: Opens July 1
- Panthers Development Camp: Late June/Early July; IcePlex, Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA