The Montreal Canadiens were left stunned during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night. The coach's challenge in the first period did not go their way. And Martin St. Louis was not happy about it.

The play in question came midway through the first period. Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall opened the scoring. But the Canadiens felt the goal should not have counted.

St. Louis challenged the goal, citing goaltender interference. As Jakub Dobes tried to make the save, he was hit by two Hurricanes players. The biggest contact came from Logan Stankoven, who crashed into Dobes from the side.

After the game, the coach made his thoughts clear. "I felt like his right leg was pushed in," St. Louis said. "I was 100% sure it was going to be goalie interference."

The officials reviewed the play on video. After some deliberation, they stuck with their original call. The goal stood, and it was bad news on two fronts for Montreal.

The failed challenge cost them more than just the goal. They also earned a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game. It was a costly start to an already tough night.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun shared some context shortly after the play. He noted that the league does not like to overturn goals. The evidence has to be overwhelming, and in this case, it was not enough.

The End of the 2025-26 Season for the Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens' season officially ended Friday with a 6-1 loss in Game 5. They dropped four straight to close out the series. In the last two games, they were outscored 10-1.

If Montreal wanted any shot at a comeback, they needed a fast start. That did not happen. The Hurricanes scored three times in the first period and never looked back.

Game 5 played out a lot like Game 4. In both games, the Hurricanes had three goals before the first intermission. For a Canadiens team that does not score in bunches, that early hole was just too deep.

The offence really struggled down the stretch. Over the final seven periods, Montreal scored just one goal. And that came in the third period of Game 5, when the game was already out of reach at 5-0.

The top line will be a big talking point this offseason. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky combined for only six even-strength goals in 19 playoff games. That is a steep drop from their 72 in the regular season.

There were still plenty of positives to take from the year as a whole. But the way it ended will sting for a while. For the Canadiens and their fans, the focus now shifts to the offseason.

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Written by

Sahil Prashar

Edited by

Sahil Prashar