Sunday night in Raleigh, N.C., Montreal's dynamic duo of Saku Koivu and Jose Theodore needed less than five minutes to make a major mark on Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between their "Cinderella" Canadiens and the Southeast Division champion Hurricanes.

Koivu, the Finnish-born captain whose comeback from life-threatening abdominal cancer is amazing, put his stamp on his achievement by sending a physical message.

Theodore, the puck-stopping wiz from the Montreal suburb of Laval, established his presence in his usual way -- with a breathtaking save.

By the end of the night -- behind Koivu (a goal and an assist) and Theodore (45 saves) -- the Canadiens had evened their playoff series with a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes. Of course, things might have been different if the Habs' two stars hadn't set the tempo.

Captain Koivu, who seemed unable to shake 6-foot-5 'Canes center Josef Vasicek in the Canadiens' 2-0 loss in Game 1, made his statement on his very first shift (a bit more than two minutes into the game).

Wanting to lead by example, Koivu placed himself on a collision course with the bigger Vasicek behind Theodore's net. In an instant, Koivu hurled his 5-11 body directly into Vasicek. The hit carried so much impact, both men tumbled to the ice.

While Koivu jumped right back onto his skates, Vasicek seemed a little woozy. The big man drifted back to his bench with a bloody nose and mouth as a result of the collision. The bone-rattling hit didn't go unnoticed on the Canadiens' bench.

"The hit (Koivu) made at the beginning of the game set the tone for the whole game," said Habs defenseman Sheldon Souray, who returned to the lineup after missing most of Game 1 with a shoulder injury. "He brought a high level of intensity to the game."

Less than two minutes later, Theodore sent a message of his own by making a sensational, sprawling stop on hard-charging Rod Brind'Amour, who thought his shot had crossed the goal line to give his team an early lead.

But, the shot never passed Mr. Theodore.

On the play, Brind'Amour drove to the net from his off-wing (right) side. Due to a defensive zone mix-up by Habs center Doug Gilmour, Brind'Amour approached the net unchecked. With time and space, Brind'Amour carried the puck across the slot and tried to jam it past a seemingly beaten Theodore. But, somehow, the Canadiens stopper was able to reach back and stop the puck with his glove.

Like Koivu's hit, Theodore's acrobatic stop was appreciated back on the bench.

"We have the luxury of having the best goalie in the league right now," Souray said. "We're lucky to have him."

Yes, Sheldon, you and your teammates are very lucky to have a goalie like Theodore. And, also, to have a captain like Koivu. On Sunday night, it didn't take either player long to prove his worth.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.