Carolina lead this Eastern Conference Final 2-1, but the Bell Centre roars tonight for a Canadiens side that has earned every inch of this improbable run — and they need a win desperately. Montreal stunned Carolina 6-2 in Game 1, before the Hurricanes took Games 2 and 3 by identical 3-2 overtime scores. Lane Hutson — logging a team-high 26:01 per game — is the undeniable standout, leading Montreal in playoff scoring and carrying a six-game point streak of eight assists into this series. For Carolina, Nikolaj Ehlers has been electric, scoring twice in Game 2 including the overtime winner, with one of those goals a highlight-reel individual effort past two Montreal defenders. The Hurricanes swept their first two opponents — the first team to do so back-to-back since the 1992 Blackhawks and Penguins — and started the playoffs 8-0, the first team since the 1985 Oilers. Both teams are relatively healthy, with Montreal's Patrik Laine the notable long-term absentee, while Carolina's Alexander Nikishin recovered from his concussion in time for the Flyers series, leaving the Canes' injury report essentially bare. Historically, Carolina own the head-to-head, winning both previous playoff series against Montreal in 2002 and 2006. The Hurricanes remain the Stanley Cup favourites. Yet Montreal swept all three regular-season meetings by a combined 15-8, and at a raucous Bell Centre with their season on the line, expect the Habs to level this series — Hutson pulling strings from the blue line and Dobes standing tall — before Carolina's depth eventually proves too much in seven.