NHL Games on TV Today – Friday, May 29, 2026 (ET)
One game on the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule tonight, and it could be the last game of the Eastern Conference Final. The Montreal Canadiens face elimination in Raleigh as the Carolina Hurricanes look to reach their first Stanley Cup Final in 20 years.
Coverage is on TNT, truTV and HBO Max in the United States, with Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports carrying it in Canada.
Friday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Series Status | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 PM | Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes (Game 5) | Carolina leads 3-1 | TNT / truTV / HBO Max |
🏒 Game of the Day: Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Game 5)
8:00 PM ET | TNT / truTV / HBO Max (US) · Sportsnet / CBC / TVA Sports (Canada)
Carolina has taken this series over completely since its Game 1 collapse. The Hurricanes won two straight overtime games on goals from Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov, then produced their most complete performance of the round on Wednesday, shutting out Montreal 4-0 at the Bell Centre with three goals inside a 2:47 span late in the first period from Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven.
Frederik Andersen has been the anchor. He is 11-1 this postseason with three shutouts, and his fifth playoff shutout in a Carolina sweater moved him past Cam Ward for the franchise record. He is also only the fifth goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first six road games in a single playoff year. Carolina is 5-0 in overtime, 11-1 overall, and Wednesday marked the club’s 64th win across the regular season and playoffs – a total surpassed only by the 2006 team that lifted the Cup.
Montreal, though, has been written off before. This is a group that won two Game 7s on the road, in Tampa and Buffalo, to get here, and it swept the regular-season series against Carolina 3-0. Jakub Dobes made 40 saves in Game 4 and has kept his team in games it had no business staying in. Lane Hutson has 15 points in 17 playoff games, and Nick Suzuki has been Montreal’s best player throughout.
The problem is momentum: the Canadiens have lost three in a row after not dropping consecutive games in either of their two seven-game series wins, and they now have to win three straight against the best team in the East.
Prediction: Carolina finishes it at home – Hurricanes close out the series and book their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006.
What Tonight Decides
Vegas has been waiting since Tuesday, having swept Colorado to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine seasons. The Golden Knights will open on the road regardless of opponent, since both Eastern finalists finished with more regular-season points.
If Carolina wins tonight, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is Tuesday, June 2. If Montreal survives, Game 6 goes back to the Bell Centre on Sunday and the Final would instead begin Thursday, June 4. Every game of the series starts at 8:00 PM ET on ABC in the United States, with Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada.
One win separates Carolina from a title shot 20 years in the making. One loss ends a Montreal run that has already outlasted every expectation.
