May 23, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Montréal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis speaks after the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the Eastern Conferene Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
May 23, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Montréal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis speaks after the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the Eastern Conferene Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
The mood inside the Montreal Canadiens locker room was very emotional after another tough loss in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Despite the frustration and growing pressure, head coach Martin St. Louis gave an honest and emotional message about failure, learning, and maturity.
“This whole experience, it’s part of our learning. There’s always learning in failure”, Martin St. Louis said.
The Montreal Canadiens entered Game 3 hoping to take the lead. But the Carolina Hurricanes won again and took a 2-1 lead in the series.
Carolina got regulation goals from Shayne Gostisbehere and Taylor Hall, while Frederik Andersen finished with 10 saves, but Montreal kept pushing back as Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson both found the net.
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is building something special (Image via THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes ZUMA)
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is building something special (Image via THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes ZUMA)
Jakub Dobes turned aside 35 shots to keep his team in it. After a back-and-forth overtime period, Andrei Svechnikov finally broke through by sending a shot through traffic and into the net to seal the win.
The coach also praised the Carolina Hurricanes for their composure and experience. He admitted that the Canadiens still have plenty to learn while competing against a battle-tested playoff contender.
“That team (Hurricanes) over there is a good team. Very mature. And we are gonna have to, you know, I don't know if we can match that maturity. But we are gonna have to elevate that.”
Carolina Keeps Finding the Final Breakthrough So Far in This Close Series
Even though the Carolina Hurricanes lead the series 2-1, the Montreal Canadiens have also played well at times. They started the series with a convincing 6-2 win.
In Game 3, the score was 2-2 after regular time, but Montreal lost in overtime. The same thing happened in Game 2. That game also ended 2-2 in regular time, but Carolina stayed calm in overtime and won 3-2.
The Canadiens must bridge the maturity gap St. Louis identified if they hope to survive this series.
Now the Canadiens will look to square the series in the next game. Game 4 will be played on May 27, and they will try to stop the series from ending there.
Do you think the series will go to Game 5? Comment and share your thoughts.
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Written by
Kapil Manghnani
Edited by
Rudra Dubey