Series Matchups
- STANLEY CUP FINAL
- Carolina vs Edmonton
- ROUND THREE
- Western Conference
- Anaheim vs Edmonton
- Eastern Conference
- Carolina vs Buffalo
- ROUND TWO
- Western Conference
- San Jose vs Edmonton
- Anaheim vs Colorado
- Eastern Conference
- Ottawa vs Buffalo
- Carolina vs New Jersey
- ROUND ONE
- Western Conference
- Detroit vs Edmonton
- Dallas vs Colorado
- Calgary vs Anaheim
- Nashville vs San Jose
- Eastern Conference
- Ottawa vs Tampa Bay
- Carolina vs Montreal
- New Jersey vs NY Rangers
- Buffalo vs Philadelphia
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VS |
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| Carolina wins best-of-seven series 4-2 | ||
Carolina (2)
Montreal (7)
Hurricanes end Habs' season in OT
The Montreal Canadiens' longest Stanley Cup drought in franchise history will continue for another season. » FULL STORY
Past Stories
- Gainey wants more from Kovalev
- Koivu still not ready to play
- Ward, Hurricanes stymie Canadiens
- Ward has a handle on Habs
- Hurricanes even series with Habs
- Rod Brind'Amour: inexhaustible warrior
- Koivu out indefinitely with eye injury
- Hurricanes dump Canadiens in OT
- Habs hold off Carolina in second OT
- Special teams, stars key for Habs
- Huet, Habs overwhelm Hurricanes
- Habs continue surprise starter legacy
- Habs pin playoff hopes on Huet
- Another dramatic season in Montreal
TEAM ANALYSIS
| Strengths | Weaknesses | Key Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes |
The Hurricanes can score, as they showed by piling up the second-most goals in the East, and they boast a balanced attack. Six Carolina players scored at least 21 goals this season and four hit 30. Despite ranking in the bottom half of the league in special teams efficiency, Carolina showed a knack for staying on the happy side of the special teams battle: the team led the East in power-play opportunities while surrendering the fourth-fewest such chances in the conference. |
Carolina's run-and-gun style can lead to scoring chances at both ends of the rink. No playoff team allowed more goals. Roster turnover could be a problem, too. Carolina went a pedestrian 10-8-4 after 30-goal forward Erik Cole went down with a neck injury on Mar. 6. And GM Jim Rutherford's big-name veteran acquisitions haven't exactly been a hit. Combined, Doug Weight and Mark Recchi played in 43 games for the Hurricanes and registered just 20 points to go with a minus-14 rating. |
Eric Staal: One of the biggest surprises of the post-lockout NHL, the 6'4", 205-lb. Staal piled up 45 goals and 100 points to finish seventh in scoring in just his second season in the league, more than tripling his rookie output. After posting a stunning 22 points in 11 October games, some expected Staal to hit the wall, but he remained near the top of the NHL scoring race all season. The Hurricanes are hoping the 21-year-old can build on his breakout season in his first playoff appearance. |
| Montreal Canadiens |
Though he played in less than half of Montreal's games, goaltender Cristobal Huet might have saved the Canadiens' season, finishing first in the league in save percentage and fourth in goals-against average. Montreal ranked fifth in the East in goals allowed but might have ended up higher with a full season of solid goaltending. Offensively, Montreal's power play is potent, ranking fourth in the East, and the Habs roll out seven players who scored at least 16 goals. |
The Canadiens will have to continue their solid defensive play because they've struggled on the offensive end at times, placing 20th in the NHL in goals scored. Montreal's lack of a dominant scorer didn't help in that department: Alexei Kovalev's team-leading 65 points were good for just 64th in the league. The Habs will also have to tighten up their penalty-killing efficiency, which ranked in the bottom third of the league. |
Michael Ryder: The 26-year-old Newfoundlander scored 30 times, seven more than any other Canadien, for a nice encore to his 25-goal rookie campaign. His assists and plus-minus rating, however, both slipped significantly. Ryder will be looking to rebound from a sub-par performance in the 2004 playoffs, when he managed only one goal and two assists to go along with a minus-5 rating in 11 games. |
STATISTICS
[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]Goalie statistics: GP=Games played, W=Wins, L=Losses, GA=Goals against, SV=Saves, SH=Shutouts, SV%=Save percentage, GAA=Goals-against average
Player statistics: GP=Games played, G=Goals, A=Assists, P=Points, +/-=Plus/Minus, PIM=Penalty Minutes, PP= Power-play goals, GW=Game-winning goals
Team statistics: GF=Goals for, GA=Goals against, PP= Power-play efficiency, PK= Penalty-killing efficiency. NB: Team statistics are from the 82-game regular season. Ranking is out of 30 teams.
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