Carolina Hurricanes push Canadiens to the brink with shutout win in Game 4
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-1 Eastern Conference Final series lead with a 4-0 Game 4 win.
- Frederik Andersen posted a shutout as the Canes improved their playoff road record to 6-0.
- Sebastian Aho scored a power-play goal to become the Hurricanes' career PPG leader.
The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from playing for the Stanley Cup.
The Canes reeled off three rapid-fire goals in the opening period and kept the Montreal Canadiens mostly flustered and frustrated Wednesday in a 4-0 complete-game victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre.
The Canes, with goalie Frederik Andersen getting the 18-save shutout, took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and will look to close it out in Game 5 on Friday at Lenovo Center. Carolina will be after its third Eastern Conference title, reaching the Cup Final in 2002 and 2006, claiming the Cup in 2006.
After sweeping the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the first two rounds, the Canes came off a long layoff and dropped a 6-2 decision to the Canadiens in Game 1 in Raleigh. But overtime wins the next two games gave them the series lead, and they controlled Game 4 in running their playoff road record to 6-0.
“We were solid, for the most part,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “There are certain areas we can be much better at, but it’s tough to pick apart that game. We were good from start to finish and obviously that was the result.”
Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a span of 2:47 in the first period in what proved to be a lethal burst of offense. Andrei Svechnikov had a late empty-netter to cap the scoring and the Canes’ defense was smothering from start to finish, allowing little.
“It’s great to come out against a team like this and perform like that,” Stankoven said. “At this time of year, you can’t bring your ‘B’ game. You have to bring your ‘A’ game every night to win hockey games.
“We’ve shown the last little bit that we’ve been able to stick with a 60-minute effort. It’s tough to play against when it’s just waves and waves and you’re playing defense.”
The Canes were at their “A-level” best. The Canadiens again spent much of the game in their own end as the Canes’ forecheck was relentless and effective. One defensive shift for the Habs in the third period lasted 2:30, leaving them exhausted, and some exhausted Montreal fans left the building early.
The three-goal surge was the second-fastest in Hurricanes playoff history and quieted the Bell Centre crowd. Stankoven used a boxing analogy to describe landing the big punch.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to (land) the body blows to get to the head,” he said. “When you can stack shifts, good things will continue to happen.”
And having a chance to close out the series?
“When you’ve got ‘em right on the edge, you want to push ‘em off,” Stankoven said. “You don’t want to let them hang around.”
Hurricanes take early lead
Aho scored at 14:59 of the first period on a power-play blast off a Nikolaj Ehlers pass after the Canes’ first power play of the game was punchless. It was Aho’s fourth goal of the playoffs and his 11th career power-play goal, making him the team’s career leader, passing Eric Staal (10).
It was also the Canes’ first power-play score in the series after going 0-8 in the first three games.
Staal’s second goal of the playoffs came 68 seconds later when he went to the front of the net and redirected the puck past goalie Jakub Dobes. Staal took a quick feed from K’Andre Miller, who backhanded a pass to the Canes captain on the move as he skated past the cage.
Just 1:39 later it was 3-0, Canes. The Stankoven line connected as Jackson Blake’s pass set the center up with a shot off the rush at an open net and his eighth of the playoffs. It was Stankoven’s first point of the series.
The Canes had a 13-5 shot advantage in the opening period as the Habs continued to struggle to put shots on goal. They had one in the opening 10 minutes of Game 4 after the Game 3 loss that had Montreal credited with one shot in the third period and one in 14:06 of the overtime.
Wednesday was the 25th birthday for Dobes, whose rookie season has been exceptional. He faced 42 shots, made a host of high-quality stops and had the fans chanting his name.
Late in the game, he was pulled for a sixth attacker and when Ehlers missed an empty net, Habs fans again cheered “Dob-by! Dob-by!” to honor their goalie — a touch of humor on a night when Montreal had little to smile about.
Hurricanes prepared for Canadiens’ best
After the morning skates, the Canadiens said there was a need to be more physical and play at a better pace Wednesday against the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes, in turn, said they expected to see the Canadiens’ best in Game 4.
“They’re going to come out with everything they’ve got,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said.
It didn't matter.
The Canes had the Canadiens a bit muddled and indecisive after a pair of wins. Some of the Habs players mentioned after Wednesday’s morning skate that they’re facing a team that’s “extremely well-connected” and applying pressure all over the ice, forcing mistakes.
“For us, it’s about executing and knowing there’s going to be pressure and making that right play,” Habs forward Jake Evans said. “You have to make the right play, at the right time, under a lot of pressure. That’s going to be the big key for us.”
For the Canes, it’s about applying more of the same. Keep being consistent. Keep the pressure on. Keep rolling four lines. Keep being quick and decisive in the defensive zone. Leave the rest to Andersen, who has started all 12 games in the playoffs and is 11-1.
As defenseman Jaccob Slavin put it: “He’s been a brick wall for us.”
Habs coach Martin St. Louis noted Wednesday that he has a fast team, but touched on one of his team’s biggest problems in the series, saying: “When you turn the puck over, you don’t look fast.”
Brind’Amour answers ECF question, again
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has been asked numerous times about past problems winning games in the Eastern Conference final.
Guess what? He was asked again Wednesday morning, although with a twist: What’s different about this year’s conference final as opposed to the others?
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ve won one more game, I know that, at this point.”
It’s the first time since the 2006 Eastern Conference Final against the Buffalo Sabres that the Canes have won more than one game in the ECF. The Canes, captained by Brind’Amour, won that series in seven games before beating the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup.
“The past is past,” Brind’Amour said. “We have a new group, but we do have some guys who have been through it. You learn from all your past successes and things that don’t work out your way. I think that’s a big thing.
“I think this is definitely an experienced group and every year that goes by they get a little more experience. I think that helps. Playoffs are all up and down. That’s the nature of how this goes, and being able to handle that and understand it and just keep an even keel is so important.”
Game 4 was a big one for both teams
No doubt a lot was at stake for the Canadiens in Game 4, but that can go both ways, Canes forward Jackson Blake said Wednesday.
“It’s the biggest game of the series, I think,” he said. “You either go home up 3-1 or you go home tied at two. This is a huge game for us, too.”
The Canadiens had their chances to win Game 3 early in overtime — defenseman Mike Matheson hit the crossbar with a shot. Instead, the Canes won in OT for the fifth time in the playoffs and would like to add another road victory in Game 4.
“It’s about sticking with our game plan, no matter how long the games are,” Blake said. “Play your game and don’t change anything as a group. Whatever they do, we’re ready for it. We’re not going to change what we do.”
Ending the Svechnikov-or-Aho debate
If there still is a lingering question about who scored the overtime goal for the Canes in Game 3, Andrei Svechnikov or Sebastian Aho, it was Aho who wanted to make things clear — again — Wednesday after the morning skate.
“Svech scored it,” he said, smiling.
Aho was positioned by the crease to the left of Dobes and jostling with forward Juraj Slafkovsky when Svechnikov took the shot from the top of the right circle.
“I’ve seen the replays and the puck might have hit something, but it wasn’t off me or my stick,” Aho said. “I didn’t feel anything.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Carolina Hurricanes push Canadiens to the brink with shutout win in Game 4."
