Canadiens-Hurricanes Game 1 takeaways, grades, early look at Game 2

Opening a conference finals series with a four-goal first period will grab attention. That early explosion also allowed the Montreal Canadiens to cruise to a 6-2 win Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

What made the Canadiens’ series-opening victory rather stunning was how Montreal did more in one game than most teams have achieved in a series against the Hurricanes.

Here’s how it all played out, and what it means for Game 2 of this series and beyond.

This was the Hurricanes’ worst performance this postseason. After taking a 1-0 lead within the first minute, Carolina allowed four straight goals to end the frame.

Carolina gave up just five goals total in its first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators and the same number in the second-round sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Hurricanes finished with a 61.9% shot-share in 5-on-5 play, according to Natural Stat Trick. But Jakub Dobes made 25 saves, and his teammates chipped in 30 blocks, a combination that added to the Hurricanes’ frustrations.

The Canadiens reached the conference finals in part because of how they’ve performed without having the puck. They entered this series with a 45.6% shot-share — the lowest of the four teams remaining. They’ve had to get comfortable facing teams that control the puck, which only enhances their need to be efficient whenever they have it.

Juraj Slafkovsky’s third-period goal was a perfect example of that approach. Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle waited for a passing lane. He found Nick Suzuki in the neutral zone, and the Canadiens’ captain made a perfect pass to Slafkovsky, who pulled off a toe drag to create more space before giving Montreal a 5-2 advantage.

Players to watch in Game 2

No goaltender had a better save percentage or goals-saved above average than Andersen going into the conference finals. So it was…