Sebastian Aho sparked a late first-period surge as the Carolina Hurricanes shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference final. Frederik Andersen made 18 saves for his third playoff shutout, while Jordan Staal, Loga
When the first period ended, Montreal still had the chance to flip the script. By the time the opening surge from Carolina arrived, that hope had a deadline—and in Game 4, the Hurricanes made sure the Canadiens ran out of time.
Sebastian Aho broke a 0-0 tie at 14:59 with a one-timer on a power play off a pass from Nikolaj Ehlers. and the game went from tense to one-sided in a span of minutes. Frederik Andersen stayed steady with 18 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs as Carolina cruised to a 4-0 win on Wednesday. seizing a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference final.
Jordan Staal doubled the advantage at 16:07, gaining position on Josh Anderson in front of Jakub Dobes and tapping a K’Andre Miller feed through the five-hole. Logan Stankoven then finished Carolina’s third goal in 2:47, after Jackson Blake found him on a 2-on-1 break.
Andrei Svechnikov sealed the outcome into the empty net, completing a performance that also featured a pair of two-assist nights from Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere. Carolina’s win marked the seventh time in NHL history that a team has won six or more road playoff games to start a post-season.
Montreal had Jakub Dobes stopping 39 shots, but the Canadiens’ season at home slipped further into danger. They fell to 2-6 at home in this spring’s Stanley Cup tournament.
Now the series shifts back to the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., for Game 5 on Friday, with Game 6—if needed—back at the Bell Centre on Sunday.
The Canadiens entered the series with momentum of their own. winning the opener 6-2 on the road. and then stringing together consecutive 3-2 overtime wins to take a 2-1 lead heading into Wednesday. But this one wasn’t nearly as close. Carolina improved to 11-1 in the playoffs. and Andersen pushed his early post-season record further. owning the fifth-longest road win streak all-time to start a playoffs at 6-0.
The key moment came late in a physical first period that stayed deadlocked until 14:59. From there, the Hurricanes put together the kind of late surge that turns a series, and Montreal’s offense struggled to answer.
Dobes celebrated his 25th birthday Wednesday. but he still had to be sharp early—stopping Blake on a breakaway and Taylor Hall on a one-time effort. Before puck drop. former Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak carried the team’s ceremonial torch into the rink. a reminder that the night carried extra weight in Montreal. Still, Carolina took over once the power play struck.
Montreal finally generated more urgency as the period wore on. grinding for opportunities on a man advantage that saw Ivan Demidov get a couple of good looks on Andersen. Then, with five minutes left in the period, the Canadiens’ momentum slipped. Staal’s goal at 16:07 made it 2-0, and before Montreal could stabilize, Stankoven scored to push Carolina to 3-0.
Trying to find a spark, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis mixed up his forward lines to start the second after Montreal again failed to create much in the offensive zone. Cole Caufield had a chance off the rush that Andersen stared down. and at the other end Svechnikov—who scored the overtime winner in Game 3—rang a puck off the crossbar.
Montreal survived a two-man advantage for 1:44 later in the period with desperate defending, and when penalties eventually expired, Eric Robinson had a chance to make it 4-0 but missed an open net from a tight angle.
Andersen stayed perfect when Montreal tried to press again. As Dobes kept facing waves of pressure, Andersen blocked another look as the Canadiens pushed for the second goal that could have changed the feel of the night.
The home crowd tried to lift Montreal into the third. but Carolina kept pressing with the same suffocating. relentless style it had used in Games 2 and 3. By the time the final whistle arrived. the message was clear: the Canadiens are on ropes now. trailing 3-1. and the Hurricanes have the next two days to decide whether this series closes in Raleigh—or if Montreal’s season stays alive one more game at the Bell Centre.
NHL Hurricanes Canadiens Game 4 Eastern Conference final Frederik Andersen Sebastian Aho Jordan Staal Logan Stankoven Andrei Svechnikov Jakub Dobes Nikolaj Ehlers Shayne Gostisbehere Martin St. Louis Raleigh Lenovo Center
4-0 shutout is wild, I didn’t even know they could just turn it off like that.
Andersen with 18 saves?? So the Canadiens didn’t score once the whole game? Kinda feels like Montreal gave up right after that power play goal, like they were already mentally on vacation.
Wait it says Aho scored at 14:59 on the power play, but then it also says first period ended and it went one-sided… so was the game over before the end of the period or am I reading it wrong? Also, empty net goal at the end, yeah that always feels like the ref just wanted to finish the paperwork.
I swear Montreal is cursed at home or something. They’re 2-6 at home and now it’s back to Raleigh?? Like don’t they know home ice matters? Dobes stopped 39 shots but still lost 4-0… that math doesn’t feel right in my brain, but I guess that’s how hockey goes.