RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes looked like a team that had been sitting around for 12 days and not playing hockey.

The Montreal Canadiens looked like a team coming off a Game 7 victory, sharp, confident and ready for more in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

For the Canes, that was a bad combination Thursday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, as the Canadiens scored four times in the first period, got another winning effort in net from rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, and skated their way to a 6-2 victory before a stunned Lenovo Center crowd.

The Canes will look to square the best-of-seven series Saturday in Game 2, aware that a much better start and more attention to detail will be needed.

The Hurricanes had won eight straight games to open the Stanley Cup playoffs, one shy of the NHL record set by the 1985 Edmonton Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky. The inimitable Hall of Famer was in the house Thursday as part of TNT’s telecast crew, but by the end of the first period it appeared the Oilers’ record would remain safe.

The Canes scored first and had the building rumbling as winger Seth Javis unloaded on a shot between the circles. Just 33 seconds in, it was 1-0.

In another 27 seconds, it was 1-1. The Canadiens scored four unanswered goals in the first, constantly beating the Canes’ attempts at forechecking pressure with good quick puck movement, easily slipping body checks and getting in transition.

And scoring, Canes goalie Frederik Andersen faced unchecked shooters because of slow reactions and defensive breakdowns by the Canes, who pride themselves on taking away time and space and allowed the Habs too much of both.

The Canadiens were lethal off the rush in the first against a team trying to find its legs after the longest layoff between playoff series since 1919.

Cole Caulfield, a 51-goal scorer in the regular season, was unchecked in getting the first Montreal goal with a shot from the low slot, and Phillip Danault and Alexandre Texier followed with scores.

Eight minutes into the first period, the Habs had more goals than the Canes had given up in any of the eight wins. And the Montreal onslaught wasn’t over. Winger Ivan Demidov scored on a breakaway for a 4-1 lead, faking a backhander and going forehand to beat Andersen.

It was the first time in franchise history the Canes had been burned for four first-period goals in a playoff game – not the kind of postseason history they wanted to set.

Habs captain Nick Suzuki mentioned Wednesday they would look to use the Canes’ aggression against them, much as they did in sweeping the three-game regular-season series with Carolina. Canadiens forwards constantly looked to slip their zone if the Canes defensemen pinched too low.

The Canes, left a little dazed after the first period, were the better team in the second. Robinson scored early in the period – the winger’s first goal of the playoffs. The building came to life again as Carolina outshot the Habs 11-3 and applied more pressure on Dobes, whose biggest stop of the night came on a Jarvis breakaway.

The Habs converted a breakaway in the third as Juraj Slavkovsky scored his fifth of the playoffs, and Slavkovsky added an empty-netter in the waning minutes for the final score.

Hurricanes-Canadiens settle rest vs. rust

The debate persisted as the Carolina Hurricanes waited, and waited, for the Eastern Conference Final to begin: rest vs rust.

The Canes entered Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday after an 11-day break between Game 4 of the Philadelphia Flyers series on May 9 and the ECF opener.

The Canes spent that time resting and practicing, putting in extended family time, swapping new-baby stories, playing some golf, giving interviews … you name it. But aas it been too much for a team that won its first eight playoff games in a pair of four-game sweeps?

Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said despite mixing in some intense practices, there was no way to fully simulate a playoff game and the pace of the game. Rest is good, he said, especially mentally. But, he said, there could be some early rust as the Canes try to get back up to speed.

There was.

The Canadiens, after winning a pair of 7-game series, practiced Wednesday in Montreal before the team flight but did not hold a morning skate Thursday at Lenovo Center. The Canes did go through a morning skate, with a full complement of players.

Habs’ Dobson has playoff feel for Canes

Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson has a good feel for “playoff Hurricanes hockey.” He played for the New York Islanders when the Canes beat them in playoff series in the first round in 2023 and 2024.

“I’m familiar with how they play,” Dobson said Thursday before the game. “It’s high pressure. They’re in your face. You’ve got to be ready and expect their pressure and play through it.

“Their forecheck is a huge part of their game. We’re going to need to be good on breakouts, support each other, use our legs and try to make plays and try to break their pressure. If we can do that we’ll be playing with the puck more and play in the O-zone. Definitely a key part of the series.”

Dobson was traded to Montreal by the Isles after last season and signed an eight-year, $76 million extension.

Canes need power-play improvement

The Canes believe their power play has to be more productive to keep moving forward in the playoffs. Carolina has five power-play goals on 37 opportunities — 13.5%.

“Obviously, it’s not the results we wanted,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said Thursday. “But we have two really good (power play) units in the sense of if one’s not going the other can get the chance and go.”

The Canes have scored two power-play goals in a game once in the playoff run — Game 3 against the Flyers. They were 3-fo-18 in the Flyers series.

“For us it’s about being more direct,” Gostisbehere said. “Being more direct and the puck going to the net and we had traffic there. When power plays aren’t going too well ... it’s definitely tougher in the playoffs where you’re playing the same team night-in and night-out. You need to simplify and go back to the well and back to the basics.”

‘The Rope’ is hanging around

The Hurricanes this season started a postgame tradition of handing off “The Rope” after each win, going to the player who figured prominently in winning.

Winger Jackson Blake, whose overtime goal in Game 4 ended the Flyers series, was given “The Rope” by Canes captain Jordan Staal. It has hung in his locker stall at Lenovo Center since May 9.

“It’s always cool to receive it but even cooler to give it off to someone, to see the smile on their face,” Blake said Thursday.

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