RALEIGH, N.C. (Interstat) — Juraj Slafkovsky scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of their playoff series Thursday night at Lenovo Center. Montreal, the visiting team, erupted for four goals in the first period and added two in the third. Carolina scored once in the first and once in the second. Slafkovsky, a left wing, also had four shots on goal and one hit. Nick Suzuki recorded three assists, and Phillip Danault had a goal and an assist. Goaltender Jakub Dobes made 25 saves on 27 shots to earn the win. Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier also scored for Montreal. Seth Jarvis scored for Carolina. The Hurricanes led early on a goal by Jarvis, but Montreal responded with four unanswered goals. The Canadiens improved to 57-40, while the Hurricanes fell to 61-30. The announced attendance was 18,723. Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 1-0. Game 2 is Monday in Montreal.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Interstat) — Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice and added an assist as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Thursday night at Lenovo Center to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series. The Canadiens erupted for four goals in the first period, building a 4-1 lead, then added two more in the third period after the Hurricanes cut the deficit to 4-2 in the second. Goaltender Jakub Dobes made 25 saves on 27 shots for Montreal, which improved to 57-40 overall. Carolina fell to 61-30. Slafkovsky, named the game’s first star, finished with two goals, one assist and four shots on goal. He had a quiet opening round against Buffalo but broke out in Game 1. Nick Suzuki recorded three assists, four shots and two penalty minutes. Phillip Danault contributed a goal and an assist with four hits. Cole Caufield added a goal and an assist. Alexandre Texier and Ivan Demidov also scored for Montreal. Jake Evans had an assist and two hits. For Carolina, Seth Jarvis scored his second goal of the playoffs and Eric Robinson added his first. Jarvis led all skaters with five shots on goal. Frederik Andersen made 22 saves in net. Montreal struck first just 33 seconds into the game when Jarvis converted a wrist shot off assists from Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. The Canadiens responded quickly. Caufield tied the game at 1-0 at the 1:00 mark, one-timing a feed from Slafkovsky and Suzuki. Danault put Montreal ahead 2-1 at 4:04 with a wrist shot assisted by Alexandre Carrier. Texier made it 3-1 at 8:11, finishing a pass from Danault and Kaiden Guhle. Demidov extended the lead to 4-1 at 11:32, scoring off assists from Alex Newhook and Evans. The Hurricanes had several early chances. Jackson Blake tested Dobes on a wraparound and a wrist shot in the first minute. Sebastian Aho tipped a shot that Dobes saved at 6:20. Dobes also stopped Jarvis on two wrist shots in the first period. Montreal’s offense kept pressing. Slafkovsky sent a wrist shot wide at 3:48. Suzuki’s wrist shot was saved by Andersen at 16:22. Caufield hit the left post in the second period. Carolina cut the lead to 4-2 early in the second period. At 4:46, Robinson scored a wrist shot with an assist from William Carrier. The Hurricanes carried play for stretches. Jarvis had a slap shot saved at 10:54. Dobes denied Logan Stankoven on a backhand at 18:00. Jackson Blake hit the crossbar on a slap shot in the third period. But Montreal’s defense, led by Carrier and Lane Hutson, blocked 15 shots. The Canadiens regained control in the third period. Slafkovsky put Montreal back in front by two goals at 21:05, scoring on a wrist shot from Suzuki and Caufield. He added his second of the night at 51:32, again from Suzuki, to make it 6-2. Montreal outshot Carolina 28-27. The game featured eight penalties. Montreal’s Carrier was called for high-sticking at 11:39 of the first period. Carolina’s Aho received a roughing penalty at 12:06. Later in the first, Carolina’s Sean Walker was penalized for interference and Montreal’s Suzuki for embellishment at 3:55. In the second period, Andrei Svechnikov and Montreal’s Mike Matheson each received roughing penalties at 38:13. In the third, Montreal’s Guhle was called for interference at 36:06 and Carolina’s Jordan Martinook for tripping at 9:56. Neither team scored on the power play. Montreal won all three regular-season meetings between the teams, including a 3-1 victory in Raleigh on March 29. The series continues with Game 2 on Monday in Montreal. The Canadiens advanced past Buffalo in the previous round, while Carolina eliminated Philadelphia. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Carolina 7, Montreal 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Carolina a 63.70 percent probability to win. Carolina was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 8 went under the over/under line of 6.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Interstat) — The Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes will meet Thursday at Lenovo Center in a National Hockey League matchup. Montreal enters with a 56-40 record, while Carolina is 61-29. The Canadiens have won two of three meetings this season, including a 3-1 victory March 29 in Raleigh and a 7-5 win Jan. 1. Carolina’s lone win came March 24 in Montreal, 5-2. Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes is a player to watch. He is 5-3 in his last eight starts. In his most recent outing Monday, he made 37 saves on 39 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory at Buffalo. Over his previous three starts, he stopped 33 of 36 shots in a 6-3 win at Buffalo, then allowed seven goals on 33 shots in an 8-3 loss to the Sabres. He also recorded 28 saves on 29 shots in a 2-1 win at Tampa Bay on May 3. Carolina forward Jackson Blake has been productive in the postseason. In his last four games, he has three goals and four assists. On May 9, he scored twice and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime win at Philadelphia. He also had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory over the Flyers on May 2. In the regular season, he recorded a goal and three shots in a 2-1 win at Ottawa on April 23. Montreal is coming off a 3-2 overtime win at Buffalo on Monday. Alex Newhook and Phillip Danault each scored and had two shots on goal. The Canadiens are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Carolina is coming off a 3-2 overtime win at Philadelphia on May 9. Taylor Hall had three assists. Logan Stankoven scored and had two shots on goal. The Hurricanes are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. The teams will meet again Tuesday, June 2 in Raleigh.