Carolina Hurricanes will host the Montreal Canadiens for Game 1 of the 2026 Eastern Conference finals at 8 p.m. ET from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh. Carolina comes in as the -200 favorite after becoming the first NHL team to sweep its first two best-of-seven series. Montreal, meanwhile, clawed through back-to-back seven-game series against Tampa Bay and Buffalo to reach this round.

The SportsLine Projection Model, which entered the conference finals with a +668 return on top-rated money-line picks, simulated this matchup 10,000 times and favors the Over 5.5 goals. Caufield is projected for .56 goals and .45 assists, while Jakub Dobes should make 26.1 saves and allow 3.02 goals. Seth Jarvis is projected for .42 goals and .46 assists, with Frederik Andersen making 19 saves and allowing 3.02.

The Over has hit in 60% of Carolina's home games this season and two of the last three Montreal games. Combined, the model projects 6.3 total goals, making the Over the play 57.1% of the time. Money-line odds sit at Canadiens +165 and Hurricanes -200, with the puck line at Carolina -1.5 (+126).