The conference finals opened with a jolt. The Colorado Avalanche, one of the Stanley Cup favorites, fell at home to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.
A day later, Montreal walked into Raleigh and punched the heavily favored Carolina Hurricanes in the mouth after an early scare in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. Both underdogs were priced long in the Stanley Cup futures race entering the round, with Colorado and Carolina viewed as the most likely Final matchup. According to movement tracked by Tesor-Casino, those Game 1 results tightened a once clear gap, with Montreal and Vegas forcing oddsmakers to reassess how close this field actually is.
Canadiens Blitz Hurricanes In Raleigh
Montreal did not ease its way into the Eastern Conference Final. The Canadiens gave up the first goal and trailed 1–0 early, but they answered with four straight to grab control and silence the building. Carolina, which had cruised through the first two rounds, suddenly looked vulnerable at home.
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield set the tone, driving Montreal’s top line with pace and pressure. Suzuki managed the puck calmly through the middle of the ice and attacked off the rush, while Caufield found soft spots high in the zone and around the faceoff circles. Montreal’s transition game put Carolina’s defense under immediate stress and forced the Hurricanes into penalties they had largely avoided in earlier rounds.
Goaltender Jakob Dobes continued his steady work in the net. After the early setback, he settled in, tracked the puck well, and turned aside a series of dangerous looks as Montreal’s offense took over. His poise allowed the Canadiens to stick to their plan, focus on quick exits, and protect the middle of the ice instead of chasing a frantic response.
Carolina’s Favorites Label Tested Early
The Hurricanes entered this round as one of the Stanley Cup favorites for good reason. They rolled through the first two series, scored in waves at five‑on‑five, and smothered teams with depth on defense. Game 1 against Montreal, though, was the first time in weeks they had to chase a game on home ice.
Carolina’s forecheck, usually its foundation, arrived a step late for most of the night. Montreal’s defensemen moved the puck quickly on first touch, often using the middle of the ice to avoid the Hurricanes’ pressure along the walls. That approach reduced the extended cycle shifts that Carolina used to wear down opponents in earlier rounds.
Special teams also tilted toward Montreal in the opener. The Canadiens’ power play, which had been streaky through the first two rounds, generated clean entries and quick looks off the initial setup. Carolina’s man advantage struggled to get clean possession in the offensive zone until the game was largely out of reach. For a team projected to control the series with structure and discipline, those details will be a focal point heading into Game 2.
Golden Knights Quiet Ball Arena
In the West, Vegas carried its road identity into Denver and dictated terms early. The Golden Knights built a 3–0 lead and then held on late to secure a 4–2 win and a 1–0 series edge over an Avalanche team that had been a popular Cup pick since October.
Dylan Coghlan opened the scoring with his first career playoff goal, a low, quick release from the right side that beat Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev through a screen. That strike settled Vegas and allowed the Golden Knights to lean into their structure. They kept Colorado to the outside for long stretches, forced dump‑ins, and made the Avalanche work through layers to get to the middle of the ice.
Carter Hart did the rest. The Vegas goaltender stopped 36 shots, including multiple high‑danger looks from Colorado’s top forwards. With Cale Makar sidelined for Game 1, the Avalanche blue line leaned heavily on the rest of its core, but Vegas still found ways to disrupt breakouts and slow Colorado’s rush game. Colorado finally broke through with a pair of third‑period goals, including a power‑play marker to cut the deficit to 3–2 with just over two minutes remaining. Nic Dowd’s empty‑net goal sealed it and turned a nervous finish into a statement win.
Colorado’s Firepower Meets Vegas Structure
The Avalanche still showed why they were the top favorite entering the conference finals. Even in defeat, they generated pressure late and turned the third period into extended sequences in the Vegas zone. Their stars carried the puck at speed through the neutral zone, and the defense joined the rush more aggressively as Colorado chased the game despite Makar’s absence.
Vegas absorbed that push by staying compact in front of Hart. Defensemen boxed out around the crease and fronted shots whenever possible, forcing the Avalanche to take looks from wider angles. When breakdowns did occur, Hart’s positioning and rebound control limited second‑chance opportunities.
At the other end, the Golden Knights capitalized on their chances with clinical finishing. Their top six forwards attacked downhill off turnovers, and their defense contributed timely shots from the point to create deflections and scrambles around the Colorado net. It was not a high‑volume offensive night for Vegas, but it was efficient.
Underdogs Change The Series Math
One game does not decide a series, and both favorites have the talent and experience to respond quickly. Colorado has come back from early series deficits before, and Carolina’s underlying strengths suggest it can tilt the play again once it settles in. Still, these openers changed the feel of both matchups.
Montreal’s road win in Raleigh reinforced what its earlier tight wins hinted at: the Canadiens are comfortable in hostile buildings and do not need a heavy territorial edge to win. Vegas, meanwhile, continues to thrive in a familiar role, playing a structured road game that travels and relying on strong goaltending and opportunistic scoring.
The favorites still have the edge in depth and overall expectation, but the margin is slimmer now than it was at puck drop in Colorado before the series began. With both underdogs stealing home‑ice advantage, the pressure in Game 2 shifts squarely onto Carolina and Colorado. The early script of these conference finals is clear: the path to the Stanley Cup might be more open than the odds suggested a week ago.