Stempniak scores twice as Hurricanes down Canadiens to keep playoff hopes alive
Montreal head coach Claude Julien called his team’s performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night “unacceptable.”
The Canadiens fell 4-1 to the visiting Hurricanes and saw their lead atop the Atlantic Division shrink to one point.
“Our effort and focus were unacceptable,” said Julien. “We weren’t on our game. We were chasing the puck all night. Hard to win games when that happens.”
Montreal (41-24-9) took an early lead but Carolina (32-27-13) scored four unanswered goals to extend their point streak to nine games and keep their playoff hopes alive.