Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/25/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Monday, May 25, 2026

Venue:  Bell Centre, Montréal, QC

Where to Watch:  TNT, HBO Max, truTV

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes -135, Canadiens +114; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes -135, Canadiens +115; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes -140, Canadiens +115; Over/Under:  6 goals

Carolina Hurricanes:  53-22-7 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)

Montreal Canadiens:  48-24-10 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

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Carolina Hurricanes:  9-1-0 last 10

Montreal Canadiens:  6-3-1 last 10

The Hurricanes are entering the playoffs with 113 points, a 53-22-7 record overall, and they were 24-12-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2 in overtime. Nikolaj Ehlers led the team in goals scored with 2 while Eric Robinson scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jalen Chatfield and Mark Jankowski each led the team in assists with 2 while Nikolaj Ehlers led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Frederik Andersen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 12 shots with 10 saves and a .833 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 296 goals this season averaging 3.6 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 240 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The Canadiens are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 48-24-10 record overall, and they were 24-15-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game, losing that one on the road 3-2 in OT. Josh Anderson scored 2 goals for them in that one. Phillip Danault led the team in assists with 2 while Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki each led the team in shots on net in that game with 2. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 26 shots with 23 saves and a .885 save percentage. Their offense has scored 283 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 256 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Hurricanes have looked great in their games this season with their 53-22-7 record overall which had them right at the top of their division in the East with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have been a good road team too with their 24-12-5 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with their 48-24-10 record overall which had them in the top half of their division in the East. They have looked good on home ice too with their 24-15-2 home record this season. This is game 3 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Hurricanes from the Metro Division and the 3rd seeded Canadiens from the Atlantic Division for the Eastern Conference Finals of the NHL playoffs. This series is all evened up 1-1 after the Hurricanes won game 2 by a score of 3-2. The Hurricanes looked terrible in game 1 after taking a really early lead and giving it up right away. Game 2 looked like it was going to be the same with the Hurricanes striking early again and giving up right away again, but they were able to answer back from that loss in game 1 and squeaked the game out in OT. Now they have some momentum again going to Montreal and they are going to bring their best effort here knowing they need to get a road game back in this series. They have been one of the best teams in the NHL all season and they heavily outplayed the Canadiens in the last game too. As good as the Canadiens have looked lately, they have still been really up and down in the playoffs this year. They have also played back-to-back series that went a full 7 games, so they have to be feeling tired against a rested Hurricanes team that didn't lose a game before this series. Look for the Hurricanes to bring their best effort to win on the road and carry over that momentum from the last game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game.

Hurricanes Canadiens Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Monday, May 25, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 4 Canadiens 2.

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Carolina Hurricanes: 97-74 (-17 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -200 or less. 102-73 (-23.1 units) on the moneyline off a win in their previous game. 126-82 (-14.3 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances. 31-22 OVER against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game.

Montreal Canadiens: 127-139 (+10.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 76-80 (+22.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 34-36 (+16.5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 12-5 OVER against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp.

Carolina Hurricanes:  None.

Montreal Canadiens:  P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen.

“There was a lot to be better at. We were better obviously. For the most part of the game, I thought we were pretty in sync with what we needed to do and it showed. We’ve got to find a way to keep doing it." - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s win against the Canadiens in the 2nd game of this series on Saturday. 

“I thought our execution was not as good, but it wasn't terrible. Overall, I thought it was a battle out there. I thought we competed. It's a close game. It's a fine line between winning and losing." - Martin St Louis after his team’s loss against the Hurricanes in game 2 of this series on Saturday. 

LW Andrei Svechnikov

C Sebastian Aho

RW Seth Jarvis

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Jalen Chatfield

G Frederik Andersen

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Noah Dobson

G Jakub Dobes

Points: Sebastian Aho (80)

Goals: Seth Jarvis (32)

Assists: Sebastian Aho (53)

GAA: Brandon Bussi (2.47)

Points: Nick Suzuki (101)

Goals: Cole Caufield (51)

Assists: Nick Suzuki (72)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.43)

Coaches:

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (8th season)

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)