Canes open '26 with ugly, 7-5 loss to Montreal

The Hurricanes lost the first game of 2026, a 7-5 gong show of a game against the Canadiens.  Carolina trailed 2-0 early, then fought back to take a 4-2 lead before giving up the next 4 goals through a series of turnovers and poor goaltending.  It was the first home loss for Brandon Bussi, the second straight loss for the Hurricanes, and it comes as the next game will be against the Colorado Avalanche.  Sebastian Aho had 2 goals and 3 assists on the night, his second career 5-point effort.  Andrei Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and two assists and Alexander Nikishin had a goal and an assist.  But Bussi allowed 6 goals and made just 16 saves on the night.  Now we'll see how he reacts to his first poor NHL start.

Adam Gold hosts Canes Corner, featuring guests from the Carolina Hurricanes organization, hockey writers, and radio and television hockey announcers from around the NHL talking abut the latest happenings for everything that is Caniac Nation. Episodes are posted after each game during the NHL season. This is a production of 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, North Carolina.