Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/23/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Saturday, May 23, 2026

Venue:  Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC

Where to Watch:  TNT, HBO Max, truTV

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +170, Hurricanes -200; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +170, Hurricanes -200; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +170, Hurricanes -205; Over/Under:  6 goals

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

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

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Montreal Canadiens:  6-3-1 last 10

Carolina Hurricanes:  9-1-0 last 10

The Canadiens are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 48-24-10 record overall, and they were 24-9-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game, winning that one on the road 6-2. Juraj Slafkovský led the team in goals scored with 2 while Cole Caufield, Phillip Danault, Alexandre Texier, and Ivan Demidov each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Nick Suzuki led the team in assists with 3 while Juraj Slafkovský and Nick Suzuki each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 27 shots with 25 saves and a .926 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 Hurricanes are entering the playoffs with 113 points, a 53-22-7 record overall, and they were 29-10-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, losing that one at home 6-2. Eric Robinson and Seth Jarvis each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and William Carrier each led the team in assists with 1 while Seth Jarvis led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Frederik Andersen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 21 shots with 16 saves and a .762 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 current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a big 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 looked great on home ice too with their 29-10-2 home record this season. 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 been a great road team too with their 24-9-8 road record this year. This is game 2 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. The Canadiens are entering this game with a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 by a score of 6-2. The Hurricanes came out really strong in game 1 as they scored in the first minute of the game and were up right away, but they didn't have the lead for long as they were trailing in the next 5 minutes and the Canadiens never looked back, pulling away by the end of the 1st period. That was a great effort from the Canadiens, especially coming off a tough 7-game series, but they have had trouble winning back-to-back games in the playoffs so far and they haven't come close to winning 3 games in a row either. They won't have the same effort in this game either since they have already completed their mission and flipped the home advantage in their favor, so the Hurricanes are going to be the more desperate team as they look to bounce back at home. The Hurricanes have been rolling in the playoffs too, going undefeated up until that loss in game 1, so they are going to have an answer here to avoid going to Montreal down 2-0 in the series and the Hurricanes have been one of the best home teams in the NHL all season too. Look for the Hurricanes to answer back in this game and even up the series going to Montreal. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game and on the puckline. 

Canadiens Hurricanes Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Saturday, May 23, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 5 Canadiens 2.

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Montreal Canadiens: 127-138 (+11.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 76-79 (+23.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 34-35 (+17.5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 12-4 OVER against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp.

Carolina Hurricanes: 96-74 (-18 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -200 or less. 23-20 (-5.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss vs opponent as a home favorite. 125-82 (-15.3 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances. 27-16 OVER revenging a home loss versus opponent.

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

Carolina Hurricanes:  None.

“Coming off a seven-game series (with a) short amount of time, I felt tonight it was important to come in waves. I just think we were really good at being ready for the next thing. We played to our identity tonight. It was a nice balance. We let the puck do the work. We were very opportunistic on our chances, but we didn't spend too much time that we took the instinct out of our players.” - Martin St Louis after his team’s win against the Hurricanes in the 1st game of this series on Thursday. 

“That was obviously not our best. I didn’t think we were very sharp, to put it bluntly. Our top guys had tough nights. That’s not going to work this time of the year. I think we just toss this game, to be honest. I hate that at this time of year that’s what we’ve got to do, but there wasn’t really much to grab on to there. Clearly, we were not ready for that pace. I’m not going to give the (11-day) layoff as an excuse, but we weren’t ready to play playoff hockey.” - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s loss against the Canadiens in game 1 of this series on Thursday. 

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Noah Dobson

G Jakub Dobes

LW Andrei Svechnikov

C Sebastian Aho

RW Seth Jarvis

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Jalen Chatfield

G Frederik Andersen

Points: Nick Suzuki (101)

Goals: Cole Caufield (51)

Assists: Nick Suzuki (72)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.43)

Points: Sebastian Aho (80)

Goals: Seth Jarvis (32)

Assists: Sebastian Aho (53)

GAA: Brandon Bussi (2.47)

Coaches:

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

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