The Montreal Canadiens are trailing 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Final Series, but for their head coach, Martin St. Louis, the comeback is very much on the cards. After winning Game 1 comfortably by 6-2, the Canadiens suffered two straight defeats by 3-2 in overtime to hand the initiative to the Carolina Hurricanes.

This is the first time in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs that Montreal finds itself behind after three games in a series, which is a tough spot for St. Louis and his Habs. On Tuesday, a day before Game 4 at home, he spoke to the media about their comeback hopes.

“We're trailing, but we're not dead,” the Canadiens head coach said, as per the NHL website. “We will continue.”

St. Louis also talked about the mindset of himself and his players going into the all-important Game 4 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. He admitted to the Canadiens being “emotionally attached” to what had happened in the last two games for a while, but not for too long.

“We understand we're probably going to be emotionally attached to the result for a little bit, but I feel we move on pretty quick,” St. Louis said.

Notably, in the last two games, Montreal hasn’t been able to force the issue in offensive play against Carolina, looking a bit sluggish and indecisive with the puck. They had only 25 shots on target, compared to a whopping 65 for their opponents.

As far as the attempted shots go, the Canadiens registered just 84 for them, but for the Hurricanes, it rose to 161.

“You know, the answers are everywhere, and we try to find them each and every day,” said the 50-year-old, to that effect.

Montreal Canadiens Briefly Celebrate Go-Ahead Goal in Game 3 Before Video Review Overturns

One of the biggest moments from Game 3 of the East Final at the Bell Centre was the disallowed goal from Noah Dobson for the Montreal Canadiens.

With 2-2 on the scoreboard and just over 11 minutes on the clock in the third period, Dobson put the puck in the back of the net to give his team the advantage. The fans went wild, and the players celebrated the 3-2 lead, but the Carolina Hurricanes head coach, Rod Brind’Amour, challenged the call immediately.

The video review confirmed the mistake from the on-field referees, changing the score line back to 2-2. Brind’Amour was proven right in his assessment of Cole Caufield being offside at the start of the sequence for Dobson’s goal.

The official explanation from the NHL on the matter was shared by reporter Cory Lavalette.

“Video review determined that Montreal's Cole Caufield preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was in an offside position prior to Noah Dobson's goal,” it read.

Ultimately, the Canadiens lost in overtime and found themselves in a difficult situation ahead of Game 4 at home in Montreal.

Will the Montreal Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 to level the East Final? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Ankita Yadav