Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes
· National Hockey LeagueQuick strikes from Caufield and Anderson help Canadiens rally for 7-5 win over Hurricanes
Sammy Blais had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who have a five-game point streak after winning for the third time in four games. Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson also scored.
Alexander Texier added two assists and Jakub Dobes made 20 saves for Montreal.
Sebastian Aho had two goals and three assists to become the first Carolina player with more than three points in a game this season. Andrei Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers each added a goal and two assists. Alexander Nikishin had one goal and one assist, but the Hurricanes lost for the second time in their last six home games.
Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi stopped 16 shots but took his second regulation loss in 16 games. He was trying to match the franchise record of 13 consecutive games with at least one team point.
Suzuki, who scored the last two Montreal goals Tuesday at Florida, scored 3:12 into the game and the Canadiens went up 2-0 just 56 seconds later on Kapanen’s goal.
The Hurricanes had rapid-fire offense with goals from Ehlers, Aho and Svechnikov in a span of about four minutes. Carolina’s second power-play goal came from Nikishin only 54 seconds into the second period for a 4-2 lead.
When Blais scored at 5:01 of the second, the Canadiens had three goals on eight shots. Caufield and Anderson scored at 16:23 and 16:46, respectively, to regain the lead.
Slafkovsky gave Montreal a 6-4 cushion at 11:20 of the third. Aho’s second goal came with 3:02 remaining after Bussi was pulled for an extra skater. Hutson's empty-netter came with two minutes left.
Hurricanes: Saturday at home against Colorado.
Regular Season SeriesMTL leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
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Goal | 1st Period 3:10 | Nick Suzuki Goal (14) Snap Shot, assists: Alexandre Texier (5), Samuel Blais (4) |
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Goal | 1st Period 4:06 | Oliver Kapanen Goal (12) Snap Shot, assists: Ivan Demidov (24), Juraj Slafkovský (16) |
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Goal | 1st Period 10:47 | Nikolaj Ehlers Goal (9) Snap Shot, assists: Alexander Nikishin (11), Sebastian Aho (22) |
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Goal | 1st Period 12:19 | Sebastian Aho Goal (15) Tip-In, assists: Joel Nystrom (8), Andrei Svechnikov (18) |
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Goal | 1st Period 14:51 | Andrei Svechnikov Goal (11) Snap Shot, assists: Sebastian Aho (23), Nikolaj Ehlers (19) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 0:54 | Alexander Nikishin Goal (5) Slap Shot, assists: Sebastian Aho (24), Andrei Svechnikov (19) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 5:01 | Samuel Blais Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Lane Hutson (34), Brendan Gallagher (11) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 16:23 | Cole Caufield Goal (20) Snap Shot, assists: Alexandre Texier (6) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 16:46 | Josh Anderson Goal (9) Wrist Shot, assists: none |
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Goal | 3rd Period 11:20 | Juraj Slafkovský Goal (14) Snap Shot, assists: Jayden Struble (6), Ivan Demidov (25) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 16:58 | Sebastian Aho Goal (16) Snap Shot, assists: Nikolaj Ehlers (20), K'Andre Miller (13) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 18:00 | Lane Hutson Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: none |
Statistics
MTL |
CAR |
|
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Blocked Shots | 10 |
| 26 | Hits | 18 |
| 4 | Takeaways | 9 |
| 23 | Shots | 25 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 2 |
| 1 | Power Play Opportunities | 3 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 66.7 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 28 | Faceoffs Won | 35 |
| 44.4 | Faceoff Win Percent | 55.6 |
| 18 | Giveaways | 19 |
| 3 | Total Penalties | 1 |
| 6 | Penalty Minutes | 2 |
Carolina Hurricanes Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| William Carrier, LW | Out | Jan 12 |
| Noah Philp, C | Out | Jan 10 |
| Pyotr Kochetkov, G | Injured Reserve | Dec 29 |
Montreal Canadiens Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Anderson, RW | Out | Jan 12 |
| Patrik Laine, RW | Injured Reserve | Jan 10 |
| Jake Evans, C | Injured Reserve | Dec 27 |
Game Information
Lenovo Center
Location: Raleigh, NC
Attendance: 18,299 | Capacity:
Location: Raleigh, NC
Attendance: 18,299 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit |
28 | 15 | 60 | 4 |
Tampa Bay |
28 | 13 | 59 | 3 |
Montreal |
26 | 14 | 58 | 6 |
Toronto |
23 | 15 | 53 | 7 |
Buffalo |
24 | 16 | 52 | 4 |
Boston |
25 | 19 | 52 | 2 |
Florida |
24 | 18 | 51 | 3 |
Ottawa |
20 | 19 | 45 | 5 |
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina |
28 | 14 | 60 | 4 |
NY Islanders |
25 | 15 | 55 | 5 |
Philadelphia |
22 | 14 | 52 | 8 |
Washington |
23 | 17 | 52 | 6 |
Pittsburgh |
21 | 14 | 51 | 9 |
New Jersey |
23 | 21 | 48 | 2 |
NY Rangers |
20 | 21 | 46 | 6 |
Columbus |
19 | 19 | 45 | 7 |




MTL
CAR
Detroit
Tampa Bay
Montreal
Toronto
Buffalo
Boston
Florida
Ottawa
Carolina
NY Islanders
Philadelphia
Washington
Pittsburgh
New Jersey
NY Rangers
Columbus