Canadiens – Hurricanes: A bittersweet victory that speaks volumes about the Habs' character

Some games leave you with a strange feeling. Last night's matchup between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes at the Bell Centre was one of them. A 3-2 overtime win that felt like a Hollywood script for the Habs, but scratch the surface, and you'll find flaws the coaching staff needs to patch up quickly. No need to panic, here's your complete analysis guide for this game.

The story could have been written in twenty seconds. That's all it took for Sebastian Aho to beat Samuel Montembeault on the visitors' first shot. You just knew it: "Oh no, not this again." Same old song, the Hurricanes roll in, smother the game, and in one minute, it's over. Except this Montreal squad decided, for once, not to follow the script. The response was immediate, almost instinctive. Kirby Dach, finishing off a play where Nick Suzuki's pass sliced through the defense like butter, tied things up.

What stood out to me was the review of how they managed momentum. We know the Hurricanes: they play a system, they suffocate you. To beat them, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty, to win those battles in the zones. And for a solid stretch in the second period, Martin St-Louis's guys did exactly that. That sequence of offensive zone play, where the second unit cycled the puck for nearly a minute without letting the Canes breathe, was pure artistry. It was on that wave that Juraj Slafkovsky scored the second goal, capping it off with a shot Frederik Andersen never even saw coming.

Montembeault, the game's MVP despite the late tying goal?

Hold on, let me qualify that. The Seth Jarvis goal to tie it with 1:37 left in the third? That was a defensive coverage breakdown the young guys will watch a hundred times on the board. But without Samuel Montembeault, we'd be talking about a regulation loss. The guy was on fire in the final frame. At one point, it felt like there was a red wall in front of the net. The Hurricanes pushed hard, putting up 38 shots total. Montembeault turned away 36 of them. That's what we call how to use a goalie to stay in a game: you let him do his job, and he keeps you alive to see overtime.

And then, about that overtime. A power play handed to them on a questionable holding call. And it's Mike Matheson, the early-season scapegoat for some, who comes out of the penalty box. A fake, a shot right into the top corner. Game over. It's wins like these that forge a team. You saw a group that didn't back down, even with heavy legs against one of the most physical teams in the league.

Key takeaways ahead of the next challenge

If I had to make a quick guide for approaching the next game, I'd point to three key observations:

• The power play is still a work in progress. Sure, it produced the game-winner, but before that, the units struggled to gain the zone for over two minutes. Against a disciplined team like Carolina, that's a costly anomaly.
• The offensive depth is there, but fragile. The top two lines held the fort, but the fourth line got dominated in puck possession. In a playoff game, those little details make all the difference.
• Physical intensity. We matched up physically against Carolina's big boys. That's a test they passed with flying colours. If the Habs can replicate this level of engagement every night, we won't be talking about a surprise, but about confirmation of their potential.

So yes, two points in the bag is always good to take. But what I liked most is what this Canadiens – Hurricanes game revealed: a team that no longer falls apart when the tide turns. A few months ago, we would have lost this one 5-1 after Aho's quick goal. Last night, we saw character. And that's the foundation for everything. Now, they get to do it again tomorrow, with the same grit, and we'll see if the blueprint for victory is followed to the letter.