Prime Time Danault, His Name Was Michael Hage, and the Canadiens’ Lack of Celebrations

When Seth Jarvis scored the first goal of the game just 33 seconds into the first period, I thought to myself that the Hurricanes' rest would come back to haunt us and that the series wouldn't last long.

Except that the Habs answered 27 seconds later: Cole Caufield scored a rare five-on-five goal. And the Habs headed to the locker room with a 4-1 lead.

I then told myself that the Hurricanes' rest was more a case of rust than anything else… and that the series might be short, but in the Canadiens' favor.

The Habs have really been taking me on an emotional rollercoaster for the past month. It's hard to get emotionally invested in a team that's so young AND talented.

Especially when the games—often on weekdays—are played at 8 p.m.! It must have been a week since I've been wondering what day it is when my alarm goes off.

What do I take away from last night's game?

1. The first line finally stepped up. Nick Suzuki (3 assists), Cole Caufield (1 goal and 1 assist), and Juraj Slafkovsky (2 goals and 1 assist) had their best game of the playoffs. It was about time!

All their points were scored at even strength.

2. Phillip Danault, named Player of the Game by the NHL and the players in the locker room, may have played his best game since returning to Montreal: 1 goal, 1 primary assist (on the game-winner), 2 shots, 4 blocked shots, 3 hits, and over 50% success rate at the faceoff circle.

To think he cost only a second-round pick… and people said he was finished in Los Angeles!

3. The Canadiens didn't make the mistake of getting emotionally caught up in Game 7, which they had just played—a mistake they'd made in the first game in Buffalo
.

It feels good to start the series with a 1-0 lead, rather than a 0-1 deficit.

4. The Hurricanes players managed only one shot on goal in the third period. They went more than 18 minutes without reaching Jakub Dobes' net in the third. I know… the NHL added a shot to the Hurricanes' tally overnight, but I don't care LOL!

They were well-rested and chasing a goal. However, there was no sense of urgency in their play.

5. The guys didn't really celebrate after the game. They left the ice in a subdued manner, and even in the locker room, there were no festivities. You can tell they're on a mission; winning the first game of a series means nothing. They want more. They have the right mindset. They're hungry.

6. The Canadiens have won one Game 7 (out of nine) on the road. That's impressive!

I'm convinced the Habs players will approach the two games at the Bell Centre next week in a much better way. Our arena needs to become a fortress again!

7. The Hurricanes had allowed only five goals to the Senators, then five goals to the Flyers, in each of their previous two series. They allowed six to the Canadiens last night.

They continue to struggle in the Conference Finals…

8. Martin St-Louis will have to find a way to get his team to perform better in the first minute of the game… and in the second period
. Those are two key moments the Montrealers are giving away to their opponents.

9. There's a guy out there named Michael Hage watching all this, probably thinking he should have accepted Kent Hughes' offer. Not only is he missing out on one of the greatest stories of the last 30 years in Montreal… but he's also painting himself as a tradable asset to help complete the rebuild.

Was it really worth staying in college and earning a few hundred thousand dollars guaranteed?

10. I'm starting to repeat myself, but Alexandre Carrier played (yet again) one of the best games of his career when the stakes were high. What a trade!

NHL Game Score Impact Card for the Montreal Canadiens on 2026-05-21: pic.twitter.com/JDynqq9s8O

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) May 22, 2026

11. Jake Evans had a solid game overall and has been playing very well since the start of the playoffs. However, he shouldn't be the center for a player like Ivan Demidov.

Yes, Evans has 9 points in 15 games since the start of the playoffs, and yes, he has a +10 plus/minus rating (third-best in the NHL), but he shouldn't be the team's second-line center. Not when you're actually aiming to win the Stanley Cup…

His success can't last forever. He also had a superb run like this before signing his most recent contract. And that didn't last…

12. Jayden Struble (+2) didn't do too badly under the circumstances. Arber Xhekaj will have to be patient.

13. Jakub Dobes was once again extremely effective in front of the net. Let me remind you that he was the team's third-string goalie just five months ago.

14. Oliver Kapanen finished his night with zeros across the board, except in the turnover column: 2. Will Martin St-Louis keep him in the lineup since he just won two games with him, or will he be tempted to bring back a guy like Joe Veleno for Game #2?

15. IAM said, “Tomorrow is a long way off,” but in our case, it's right around the corner: the next game between the Habs and the Hurricanes will be played in about thirty hours. Go Habs Go!