{"id":694521,"date":"2026-05-26T09:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694521\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:05:16","slug":"canadiens-hoping-to-reverse-home-ice-curse-starting-with-game-3-against-hurricanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694521\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens hoping to reverse home-ice curse, starting with Game 3 against Hurricanes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The goal for every team starting a best-of-seven playoff series on the road is to win one of the first two games.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens accomplished that in the Eastern Conference final, beating the Hurricanes 6-2 in Game 1 in Carolina before losing 3-2 in overtime in Game 2.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now a best-of-five series with Game 3 Monday at the Bell Centre (8 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports) and the Canadiens have gained home-ice advantage.<\/p>\n

Or is it home-ice disadvantage?<\/p>\n

The Canadiens have a 7-3 record on the road during this playoff run, but are 2-4 at home. Two of their three road losses were in overtime.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe American national anthem is sung prior to Game 3 of the Canadiens-Sabres\u00a0second-round series in Montreal on May 10, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

The Canadiens were also better on the road (24-9-8) than at home (24-15-2) during the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing for me \u2014 just not being on the ice but being on the bench with them \u2014 the fans have poured so much love and so much support, and I feel like we want to do it for them so bad that sometimes we\u2019re just trying too hard,\u201d St. Louis told reporters in Carolina Sunday before returning home about his team\u2019s struggles at the Bell Centre during the playoffs. \u201cWe looked out of sorts a little bit. We still have had some good games at home that didn\u2019t result in wins. Does that add like, \u2018Oh, we really need to win this one, we really need to win this one for them?\u2019 So I just think we need to take a deep breath and just understand that they are behind us and they\u2019ve showed us a lot of love.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always say we just got to try to play the game that\u2019s in front of us,\u201d St. Louis added. \u201cNot have it predetermined because you want it so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Louis announced Monday morning that he will make a change to his lineup for Game 3, taking out rookie forward Oliver Kapanen and putting in Joe Veleno. Kapanen failed to get the puck deep in the Carolina zone in overtime of Game 2, which led to the winning goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily for that,\u201d St. Louis told reporters. \u201cWe feel like Carolina brings a lot of heaviness and speed, and I feel like Joey can give us that. For any young players, there\u2019s learning moments whether you\u2019re in the lineup, out of the lineup. He\u2019s a young guy. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s going to keep progressing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes outshot the Canadiens 26-12 in Game 2 and outhit them 46-16, beating Montreal for the first time this year after going 0-3 during the regular season. The Canadiens were also outshot 28-22 in Game 1. During the three regular-season games, the Hurricanes outshot the Canadiens by a combined 103-60.<\/p>\n

\"CrowdMontreal Canadiens fans gather to watch the game outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, on Monday, May 25, 2026. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes are averaging 33.1 shots per game in the playoffs to lead the NHL. The Canadiens are averaging only 24.1 shots, the fewest of the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs. The Hurricanes ranked second in the NHL in shots during the regular season with an average of 32.2, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche (33.7). The Canadiens ranked 24th during the regular season with an average of 26.3 shots per game.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know they are going to have more shots than you,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cThat\u2019s the challenge: not letting yourself get mentally overwhelmed. It would have been nice to produce more (in Game 2), but they didn\u2019t give us much, either. \u2026 They are going to make you work in their zone. They won\u2019t give up much space \u2014 it\u2019s hard to get chances in the offensive zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA banner is passed over the crowd before the start of Game 3 of the Canadiens-Sabres second-round series in Montreal on May 10. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

While the Canadiens only had 12 shots in Game 2, seven of them were high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.<\/a> Of the Hurricanes\u2019 26 shots, 10 were high-danger chances. Both teams had 12 high-danger chances in Game 1.<\/p>\n

Captain Nick Suzuki said he liked the way the Canadiens used their speed through the neutral zone in Game 2, adding that they broke the puck out of their own zone well while also killing off all three Carolina power plays.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re learning how to play against them,\u201d Suzuki told reporters in Carolina on Sunday. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good things that we\u2019ve been doing. The game was pretty close last night and I think we could have won. Being 1-1 is a good spot on the road. I think we can just go back home with a lot of confidence\u00a0that we can beat these guys in a series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans at the Bell Centre have been incredibly loud in the playoffs, hitting 116 decibels on the giant-screen sound meter. The human threshold for pain typically begins at 120 decibels. There will be a lot of anticipation ahead of Game 3 against the Hurricanes about which former Canadiens great will carry the torch into the Bell Centre, a tradition started during this year\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n

All of it \u2014 including the roaring \u201cOl\u00e9! Ol\u00e9! Ol\u00e9!\u201d chants that start after the players come on the ice before the game and fans then doing their best to drown out the anthem singer during O Canada in French and English \u2014 can be overwhelming, it seems, for the young Canadiens players. The Buffalo Sabres scored the first goal in all three games at the Bell Centre during the previous series, including twice in the first minute. The Sabres won Game 6 at the Bell Centre 8-3, with the Canadiens blowing a 3-1 lead. The Canadiens won Game 7 in Buffalo 3-2 in overtime.<\/p>\n

Les hymnes de ce soir ont \u00e9t\u00e9 interpr\u00e9t\u00e9s par Alex Gaumond, de la production estivale Les Mis\u00e9rables de Juste pour rire!<\/p>\n

Tonight’s anthems were performed by Alex Gaumond, from this summer’s Juste pour Rire production of Les Mis\u00e9rables!#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5XXxlzW1Ts<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 x \u2013 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) May 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can speak for the entire team,\u201d Jake Evans told reporters in Carolina on Sunday. \u201cIt\u2019s so special playing at the Bell Centre. Our fans are so passionate and we want to give whatever we can back to them. You don\u2019t want to end your season the way we did the last home game at the Bell Centre. I think with the opportunities that we had (in Game 6 against the Sabres) maybe we got a little bit too excited and opened things up. I think we learned from that, and going into tomorrow\u2019s game and going back to the Bell Centre, we\u2019re excited.<\/p>\n

\"ChildMontreal Canadiens fan Oliver Kennedy, 8, of Thunder Bay gets the CH painted on his head outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, on Monday, May 25, 2026. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always just love playing there and it\u2019s just truly such a special place,\u201d Evans added. \u201cSo to get another opportunity and give our fans a good show is a great opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

scowan@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

x.com\/StuCowan1<\/a><\/p>\n

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