The Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes collide in Game 1 of the 2026 Eastern Conference finals with Carolina favored at -200. The Hurricanes, who finished first in the East, made NHL history by sweeping their first two playoff series. Montreal, meanwhile, won back-to-back seven-game series against Tampa Bay and Buffalo to reach this stage. Face-off at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., is set for 8 p.m. ET.

SportsLine's projection model, which has returned $668 on top-rated NHL picks this postseason, has simulated this matchup 10,000 times. The over/under for total goals is 5.5, with Carolina also favored at +1.5 on the puck line. The model projects 6.3 combined goals between the teams.

The model favors the Over on the total (5.5) as the play 57.1% of the time. Projections include Canadiens' Cole Caufield scoring .56 goals and .45 assists, while Jakub Dobes makes 26.1 saves. For Carolina, Seth Jarvis is projected for .42 goals and .46 assists, with Frederik Andersen making 19 saves.