Canadiens aim to carry momentum into Game 1 of East Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Montreal Canadiens have been talking a lot about how the experience they've gained just in this two-round run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has played a significant role in them getting to the Eastern Conference Final.

There's the obvious, their two Game 7 wins in the road, both times the Canadiens' showcasing the survive and advance mentality it sometimes takes to win in the playoffs.

There's Montreal's 6-0 record in games following a loss, proof that they learned and now know how to respond in a series.

But to get a jump on the Carolina Hurricanes when they play Game 1 at Lenovo Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC), the Canadiens will need another piece of the experience they've gained this postseason to become a valuable tool for them. 

They need to show that they can handle the come down from the emotional high that results from winning a Game 7, and that they can reset themselves to bring the proper level of energy and emotion into a new series.

They're 0-for-1 in attempting to do that so far.

"Game 1 against Buffalo, I felt we weren't really there emotionally and kind of showed in the result," Montreal center Nick Suzuki said. "That's definitely a learning curve that we went through and hopefully that will help us for Game 1 in this series."

The Canadiens, to Suzuki's point, did not play well in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

The result was a 4-2 loss on May 6 that showed the Canadiens that they hadn't yet fully moved on from the emotional high of winning Game 7 on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning three nights earlier. They were not at their best and they know it could have burned them.

In a bit of symmetry, Montreal won Game 7 on the road in Buffalo in overtime, 3-2, exactly three nights ago.

"I believe it's hard to get that Game 1, but the further you go you can't just waste a game because your emotions are not in the right place," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said.

It was the first time this group of players had experienced that together. 

The Canadiens lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals last year, bowing out in five games. It was their first time in the playoffs since 2021. Only six players from that team remain in Montreal. 

But this group has an understanding now of what can happen when you don't come down properly, reset and refocus your emotions to a new opponent and a new series.

"So, I think it's a challenge for us tonight to bring that emotion right away," St. Louis said. "I hope that we learn from that Buffalo series, the first game. We got going, the second, third and fourth game we were pretty good, but sometimes losing a Game 1 could be the difference."