Canes Leaning On Lessons Learned As Opportunity Knocks In Game 4

PHILADELPHIA - There's been a familiar feeling to the Carolina Hurricanes' run through Round 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After storming past the Ottawa Senators in four games during their first-round series, the Canes have followed a similar script to push the Philadelphia Flyers to the brink of elimination and climb within one win of a second consecutive Eastern Conference Final berth.

A Game 1 shutout? Check.

An overtime thriller in Game 2? Bingo.

How about a gutsy road win in Game 3? Yup.

But, as multiple players have said in the wake of taking another 3-0 series lead, "the fourth one is the hardest one to win." That adage held true in Round 1 as heavy hits turned into haymakers during Game 4 against the Senators, and lessons learned from that experience could pay dividends as another stiff test stands between the Canes and a second straight sweep.

"We're going to expect their best and expect our best, quite frankly, too," said Sebastian Aho. "It's going to be a hard game. It's going to be hard right from the start, and we've got to be ready."

"Being ready" has been a hallmark of Carolina's game this postseason — their franchise-record-tying seven-game winning streak proves as much. But as good as the Canes have been, a bounce here or there could have wrought a different fate in any of their victories thus far.

That fact has kept them humble through their torrid start.

"For me, it's pretty simple. Look at yesterday's game, and the second game. We could have been down 3-0 after 15 minutes. After the first period, Freddie was able to make some good saves, and they hit some posts and a crossbar. That shows that they're ready to go and it can happen pretty quick. But, they didn't score, and we were able to stay in the game, get some goals, and win in the end," said Nikolaj Ehlers.

"You want some adversity in the playoffs," he continued. "I'm not saying I want to lose a game, but adversity is good. It gives you something to bounce back on, and I think we've shown that throughout the games here, or especially the last two."

Adversity can come in several forms. Sometimes it shows up on the scoreboard, as was the case when Carolina climbed out of a two-goal hole to the Flyers in game two. Other times, it manifests in heightened physicality, which threatened to give the Senators late life in Round 1 before the Canes snuffed their spark.

The Flyers will certainly be hoping for a repeat of the former, but given the way Game 3 ended, there's a real chance the latter is rehashed, too, as they face a do-or-die duel on home ice on Saturday.

If so, the battle-tested Canes will be ready.

"It's been great to see how we respond to certain things. I think it's big this time of year," said Aho. "You don't need to be running around and doing anything stupid or taking penalties, but there's always moments where you don't want to take steps back. I think we've done a good job of it."

While elimination games always pose a new challenge, the process remains the same for the Eastern Conference's top seed. Whichever direction a given game takes, the Canes always aim to walk the same path.

"I've played in these games before and you want to go out there, not trying to do too much," said Ehlers. "You want to play the right way. You want to get pucks deep. That's where we dominate as a team. Just play it simple. Make the easy pass, use our speed to get down to their end, get back, and don't take too many stupid penalties."

"We're not thinking ahead of us or what happened in the past," echoed Aho. "That's been our goal the whole season, really. I think we've done a pretty good job of it. Just keep doing what we've been doing."

A short memory and steadfast habits have carried the Canes nearly to the midway mark of their playoff journey. But the trek is completed one step at a time, and how far you've come does not dictate how far you'll go.

"We have guys in there who understand that every game starts fresh," said Rod Brind'Amour. "What you've done is irrelevant. You've got to win the next one. They're going to come ready with that mindset, because you have to."

Puck drop for Saturday's Game 4 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max; SN, CBC, TVAS) is set for 6:00 p.m. ET from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.