In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final on May 23, 2026, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime to even the series at one game apiece. The Hurricanes' victory came after Montreal had won Game 1 by a score of 6-2.
Carolina's Sebastian Aho scored the game-winning goal at 12:47 of the first overtime period. The goal was assisted by Andrei Svechnikov and Brent Burns. The Hurricanes had taken a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas, but Montreal rallied with two goals in the second period from Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to tie the game.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen made 28 saves for Carolina, while Montreal's Sam Montembeault stopped 31 shots. The series now shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on May 25.
