Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal spoke about the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals. He praised the team’s style and ability to make deep runs, acknowledging the challenge.

The series begins on Thursday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh. The Hurricanes will arrive after an 11-day layoff, the longest in over a century. Interestingly, only Montreal had a longer layoff period, as they got 12 days off in 1919.

As for the upcoming matchup, Staal noted Montreal's high-pressure style and goaltender Jakub Dobes.

"The team, obviously, they're a high-pressure team," Staal said. "They're fast. They got a good goalie. They got a good power play." 

The Hurricanes have endured a tough time against Montreal this season. The Canadiens won all three regular-season matches between the teams, with their last win coming in late March.

Aware of the challenge, Staal emphasised the opposition's ability to exert pressure on the ice.

"They don't give you much time, and they make it hard on you to get anywhere on the ice, get moving forward," he stated, "That's what good teams do.”

Montreal has scored 43 times in the first two rounds and averaged more goals per game than the Hurricanes, at 3.07 to 3.00.

“There's no reason why we wouldn't see them do as well as they have in the playoffs because the way they played is a playoff grinding game," Staal said.

Both teams will arrive in starkly different forms. Carolina will enter as the first team to notch four-game sweeps in the first two rounds of a single Stanley Cup playoffs run.

On the other hand, Montreal has weathered two intense series, both of which went to Game 7 and required multiple overtime winners.

Staal acknowledged the Canadiens' performances in the postseason.

"It showed those first two series, and against two good teams that they beat, so it's going to be a great challenge," he stated. 

The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals will face either the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights.

Western Conference Final Set to Determine Stanley Cup Opponent

The Western Conference finals match has the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Both teams have won the Stanley Cup in the past four seasons, with Colorado claiming the trophy in 2022 and Vegas in 2023.

Leading up to the match, Colorado swept the Los Angeles Kings and defeated the Minnesota Wild in five. Meanwhile, Vegas defeated both the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks in six games.

Vegas forward Mitch Marner leads the NHL with 18 playoff points in 12 games, while Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon is also having a stellar postseason with 13 points.

The Western Conference Final began on Wednesday night in Denver, with Game 1 at Ball Arena. The Golden Knights have won more games and series in the playoffs than any other team since entering the NHL in 2017-18, including their six-game win over Colorado in the second round of the 2021 postseason. 

With the playoffs reaching their peak, each of these teams will aim to finish its campaign with ultimate glory.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Sijo Paul