Hurricanes beat – Carolina scored early and repeatedly, finishing with a 4-0 shutout over Montreal. Frederik Andersen made 18 saves as the Hurricanes took a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final, putting Game 5 in North Carolina with one win away from the Stanley Cup Final.
Wednesday night in Montreal looked like the Eastern Conference Final slipping out of the Canadiens’ reach—fast, then steadily, until it was just Carolina imposing its will.
Sebastian Aho. Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period. and the Carolina Hurricanes rolled past the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. Frederik Andersen stopped 18 shots for his third shutout in 12 postseason games this year. as Carolina moved within a single victory of the Stanley Cup Final.
With the win, Carolina took a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 5 is set for Friday night in North Carolina, with the series winner set to face the Vegas Golden Knights.
Carolina’s momentum was already built before the decisive stretch. Andersen and the Hurricanes are 11-1 in the first three rounds, and they effectively put the Canadiens away early in Game 4 after winning the previous two games in overtime.
The scoring started when the Hurricanes found the net on the power play for a score that came with 5:02 left in the first period. Aho beat Jakub Dobes with a one-timer from the right circle. Staal followed at 3:53 to go, tipping in K’Andre Miller’s centering pass. Then Stankoven capped the burst, finishing off a two-on-one with Jason Blake with 2:14 remaining in the period.
In the third. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal. sealing a game that never looked truly open once Carolina took control. The Canadiens spent much of the night chasing plays they couldn’t catch up to. and the shot totals showed it: Carolina held a 19-3 shots-on-goal advantage in the third period for a 43-18 overall edge.
One win from the Stanley Cup Final now waits in North Carolina, and for Montreal, the question is how to solve a team that has been finding ways to seize games—sometimes on the power play, sometimes off quick strikes, and always with Andersen standing firm at the back end.
Carolina Hurricanes Montreal Canadiens Frederik Andersen Sebastian Aho Jordan Staal Logan Stankoven Eastern Conference Final Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final Game 5