The first game of this series was a surprise to much of the hockey world. Not so much that the Canadiens won. But more so how dominant they were over the best team in the playoffs through 2 rounds. This is going to be a great series and we're likely in for a long one. The action continues on Saturday night at 7 PM ET.
I have picked out my Canadiens vs. Hurricanes Same Game Parlay picks for Game 2 on Saturday, May 23, with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Also, be sure to check out our NHL predictions for the game tonight and EVERY game throughout the playoffs.
Hurricanes ML (-205)
Over 5.5 (-130)
Jordan Staal over 0.5 points (+165)
The Hurricanes bullied their way to the Eastern Conference Finals, and were so dominant that they looked like a near-impossible fade. The Canadiens changed that narrative very quickly to begin this series. Not that they did not know before, but Carolina knows now for sure that Montreal is here to play. The Canadiens are not just a fun story with a bunch of young, talented players. This is a good team that is ready to win. That is something the Hurricanes have been for years, but just cannot seem to get over the hump once they reach this stage. This team is determined as ever to bust that narrative.
Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Hurricanes have reached the Conference Finals 5 times now including this year. Their record is an abysmal 1-17 in those games. It is getting noisy around this team, and the players and coaches are not oblivious to it. Of those 5 Conference Finals appearances, there are 3 in the last 4 years and 5 in the last 8. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour and several of these players have been part of the annual heartbreak. No one knows the trends more than them. Also, no one is more determined to buck the trends than them. Carolina was uncharacteristically sloppy and sluggish on Thursday. This is still a great team that will clean up several mistakes and play with a ton of urgency to avoid going to Montreal down 2 games to none.
Get our full Canadiens vs Hurricanes prediction for Game 2
A key piece to the Hurricanes success prior to their 8-game winning streak being snapped was strong goal prevention. That came to a screeching halt on Thursday. While they are not likely to give up 6 goals again in game 2, they at least proved to be human. After all, with 6 goals scored in game 1, the Canadiens have now scored a total of 21 goals against the Hurricanes in 4 games played head to head between the regular season and postseason. That is an average of 5.25 goals scored per game. With that, unsurprisingly, the over is 3-1 between these teams this year.
The offensive talent in this game is reason enough for the over to have appeal. As much was shown in game 1, in addition to the regular season matchups. This series features a 50+ goal scorer, a 100+ point producer, 11 different 20+ goal scorers, and 11 different 50+ point producers all this season. The talent alone complemented by just a 5.5 game total is a nice combination. At a total of 6.5, or even 6.0, the trigger would be a little tougher to pull given Carolina’s trends and strengths. But the pure matchup of these teams has fostered high totals this year. An over 5.5 looks like the more reliable play until or unless trends change.
If the Hurricanes are going to salvage their 2-game home stand to start the series, or compete in the series in general, they need more production from a few key players. While Jordan Staal is not leaned up merely for production at this stage in his career, he is as relied on in big moments as just about any player on this team. Staal has now played 171 career playoff games, 98 of which are with Carolina, and he has a Stanley Cup under his belt. This is a 37 year-old center that still logged 20 goals this year, and has been relied on against the opponent’s best players in these playoffs. He bears a lot of responsibility and will continue to be a key piece for Carolina.
Jordan Staal is currently centering Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Martinook. Ehlers had 26 goals and 71 points during the regular season, both of which were career highs. Martinook is more of a role player, but still logs over 16 minutes of ice-time per game and has produced in big moments this postseason alone. There is plenty of potential for production on that line as part of a team that scored the 2nd most goals per game in the NHL during the regular season. Look for a huge effort from this Hurricanes team on Saturday, led by their captain Jordan Staal.
