MONTREAL— The words of Kirby Dach, spoken ahead of the start to this Eastern Conference final, resonate ahead of the Montreal Canadiens’ return to the Bell Centre.
“We’re having a lot of fun,” Dach said before Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. “We’re a confident group, and we’re also all close in age, so we’re enjoying this run together, and it’s cool to see the city the way it is. We appreciate the fans and a lot of the support they give us in the regular season, and they’ve definitely taken it to another level in the playoffs. When I first got here, we talked about moments like this and wanting to be here, and striving for it…”
You think about every step taken in between and know how special it is for the Canadiens to have arrived at this juncture so soon.
Dach was traded to Montreal just minutes after the rebuilding Canadiens took their first meaningful step in roster construction. Juraj Slafkovsky had been taken first overall by the franchise in the 2022 Draft, and less than 24 hours after Alexander Romanov was traded to the New York Islanders for the first-round pick that was used as part of the package to acquire Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks, Lane Hutson was taken 62nd overall.
In the blink of any eye, three core pieces were added to a mix of exciting, young players who were embarking on a journey together with no imminent destination.
Canadiens fans could see where it might be going, though, and showed up to every game cheering as much for that outcome as the action they were seeing on the ice.
That first year under Martin St. Louis was exclusively about development, and the fans wholeheartedly—and full-throatedly—embraced that.
As they saw that development take on a linear progression, their excitement became more and more palpable.
In 2023-24, the Canadiens played in the most one-goal games in the league and, despite losing too many of them, they started to prove they were ready to compete. Towards the end of 2024, they beat the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche—four of the last five Stanley Cup champions—on a post-Christmas road trip that historically had been very unkind to them and they showed the promise of a team that could compete with the best of the best in the league.
The Canadiens then capitalized on that promise on a post-4 Nations Face-Off run that propelled them to the first playoff berth of their rebuild. And even if it was perceived they were ahead of schedule then—and it appeared they were in a series that only went five games against the Washington Capitals—the notion they could do some real damage this season immediately became tangible.
Still, following up a 106-point finish with two seven-game wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres ratcheted the belief level up several notches.
“We’re not here for a participation ribbon, as Marty would say,” said Canadiens general Kent Hughes on the eve of the Eastern Conference final getting underway in Raleigh, N.C. “We’re here to win.”
The Canadiens showed it Game 1, beating the Hurricanes 6-2. And they were a shot away in Game 2 from returning home with a commanding series lead.
The 3-2 overtime loss didn’t dull anyone’s enthusiasm.
“I think the whole city of Montreal’s really excited,” said Mike Matheson. “It’s definitely a good spot to be in.”
Last time the Canadiens were in Montreal, they had a chance to eliminate the Sabres and ended up playing what captain Nick Suzuki termed “probably our worst.”
“We can’t let that be our last game here,” he added before the Canadiens guaranteed it wouldn’t be with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 7.
“We have to take care of business at home,” said Suzuki after Saturday’s loss to Carolina.
It’s something that, as St. Louis told reporters present at Sunday’s hotel media availability, is easier said than done.
“I think the biggest thing for me, not being on the ice but being on the bench with them, is the fans have poured so much love and so much support,” St. Louis said, “and I feel like we want to do it for them so bad that sometimes we’re just trying to hard or we look out of sorts.”
The Canadiens certainly did in the 8-3 loss to the Sabres in Game 6, which sunk their record to 2-4 at the Bell Centre in these playoffs.
The Canadiens were the better team but ultimately failed to capitalize on more than one of seven power play opportunities in a 3-2 loss in Game 4 of that series, and that was after they drubbed the Sabres 6-2 on home ice.
Before that, the Canadiens 1-0 overtime loss to Tampa in Game 6 was the best home game they’ve played since their rebuild began. And that was after they were more than good enough to win Game 4 to follow up a strong Game 3 win in front of their fans.
Now a new opportunity awaits, and the Canadiens are eager to meet it properly.
“We have no doubt in our minds that we’ve got to play a little bit better at home,” said Josh Anderson, who scored two goals at Lenovo Center in Game 2. “I think we owe it to our fans and to ourselves to have better starts there and play a full hockey game. We’re looking forward to going home.”
“Can’t wait to get back in front of our fans,” said Suzuki. “I know they’re definitely amped up to see us back.”
It’s been eight days since those fans pushed the decibel level to 114 during the last game of Round 2 at Bell Centre, and they’re likely to top it in the first one of Round 3.
With Grand Prix Weekend coming to a close and the Canadiens just three wins away from the Stanley Cup Final, the energy of the city is explosive.
For Dach, and for all these players who have been talking about these moments and striving for them for four years, the opportunity to feed off it is a dream come true.
Hutson expected to play Game 3
After absorbing most of a hard hit from Taylor Hall with his left leg, Hutson finished his last shift of overtime in obvious pain.
But when St. Louis was asked on Sunday if there was any concern about his most utilized player in these playoffs, he responded there wasn’t.
Hutson has averaged a team-leading 25:44 through 16 games, producing two goals and 14 points and owning a plus-1 rating. The 22-year-old has been stalwart, and remarkably resilient for a five-foot-nine, 162-pound player who’s taken a lot of hits.
No matter how hard they come, he always bounces back up.
“I feel like there’s times where you’ve gotta take a hit and you’ve just gotta be ready for it and know it’s coming,” Hutson said prior to Game 2. “But I think everyone would prefer not to get hit. But it’s just part of the game, and I feel like I’ve just learned and adapted through just getting the reps and playing and learning how to adjust it.”
Possible lineup changes for Canadiens
St. Louis was obviously annoyed to be asked about his fourth line being used in overtime on Saturday night, but he should’ve anticipated that question was coming after the line was scored on for a third time in an extra period of these playoffs.
Oliver Kapanen failed to get the puck deep into Carolina’s zone, turning it over as defencemen Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson were headed to the Canadiens’ bench for a change.
That created the gap that Nikolaj Ehlers took advantage of on the winning goal.
But that play, in isolation, wouldn’t be the only reason Kapanen would return to the sidelines, where he’d been for the last three games of the Tampa series and first six games of the Buffalo series. Too many of the rookie’s 13 shifts in Game 2 were tentative, leaving him often on the wrong end of a physical battle and unable to generate any shots on net.
Kapanen was also on for Eric Robinson’s game-opening goal.
The decision to have him and linemates Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc play the fourth shift of overtime after playing the third-to-last shift of regulation was defensible, if only because St. Louis was trying to manage the Canadiens’ energy as they ceded so much territorial advantage to the Hurricanes.
But keeping Kapanen in for Game 3 might be harder to defend with Joe Veleno and Brendan Gallagher having each provided more to the Canadiens in their limited playoff action to date.
After scoring 22 goals this season, Kapanen was likely given the edge over those two to start this series due to his ability to better capitalize on the rush chances you’re bound to get against Carolina’s aggressive style. And he might still have it if St. Louis sees Game 3 as a redemption opportunity Kapanen would likely take advantage of—like Dach and Jakub Dobes have before him at different points of these playoffs.
But Kapanen’s performance through his seven games have left a lot to be desired and have likely left him susceptible to sitting for Game 3.