Recap: First-Period Flurry Leads Canes To Game 4 Win

MONTREAL - Three goals in 2:47 and a flawless 18-save shutout from Frederik Andersen helped the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the 2026 Eastern Conference Final.

GAME SUMMARY | BOX SCORE | BUY PLAYOFF TICKETS | PLAYOFF HUB

With no scoring through the first 15 minutes, there was a feeling that the two sides would retreat to their respective locker rooms with no scoring. Instead, striking thrice in under three minutes, Carolina obtained a commanding 3-0 lead before the break.

Starting with a Sebastian Aho power-play marker, the center one-timed home a Nikolaj Ehlers setup from Jakub Dobeš' glove-side circle. Just 68 seconds later, K'Andre Miller found a net-front battle-winning Jordan Staal to double the advantage. To conclude the flurry, Jackson Blake set up Logan Stankoven on a two-on-one to further extend the score and send the home crowd to the intermission silenced.

A scoreless second period whistled by with pace and saw perhaps Montreal's best chances on the night, but its 10 shots found nothing but Andersen between the pipes. Frustration then mounted for the Canadiens as ten shots became just three in the final frame, with the Hurricanes clamping down on their attack and dominating the closing 20 minutes.

With Dobeš on the bench for an extra attacker, Andrei Svechnikov found the empty net to make it a 4-0 Carolina win.

Stats & Standouts

• Frederik Andersen recorded his third shutout of the 2026 postseason and the fifth of his Hurricanes career in the playoffs, both of which established new franchise records.
• Andersen also became the fifth goalie in NHL history to win each of their first six road games to start a postseason. The others: Jonathan Quick (10 GP in 2012 w/ LAK), Billy Smith (8 GP in 1980 w/ NYI), Sergei Bobrovsky (7 GP in 2023 w/ FLA) and Patrick Roy (7 GP in 1999 w/ COL). 
• Sebastian Aho's first-period goal was the 10th time in 12 games this postseason that the Canes have scored first. They are now 9-1 in those games, including 5-0 on the road.
• Aho's 11th career power-play goal in the playoffs eclipsed Eric Staal for the most in franchise history. His eighth career playoff game-winning goal also moves him into a tie with Artturi Lehkonen (8) for the fourth-most by a Finnish player in NHL history, behind Jari Kurri (14), Esa Tikkanen (11) and Teemu Selanne (11).   
• Logan Stankoven's eighth goal of the postseason tied him for the sixth-most in a playoff year in franchise history.
• The Hurricanes scored three goals in the first period of a road playoff game for the third time in team history. The other times were Game 6 of the 2002 Conference Semifinals at Montreal (5) and Game 2 of the 2009 Conference Finals at Pittsburgh (3).
• The Canes scored three times in 2:47 to mark the second-fastest three goals in a playoff game in franchise history. The only time they did so faster was 1:19 in Game 2 of the 2024 First Round against the Islanders.
• Carolina became the seventh team in NHL history to win each of its first six road games to start a postseason. The others: the Kings (10 GP in 2012), Avalanche (7 GP in 2022 and 1999), Islanders (7 GP in 1980), Oilers (6 GP in 1987) and North Stars (6 GP in 1981).

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour with a succinct, yet fitting description of the win...

"We were solid, for the most part. There's obviously certain areas we could be much better at, but I thought it was tough to pick apart that game."

Logan Stankoven on the team being on its game right from the start...

“We talked about starting like that, just keeping it simple early. Sometimes you’ve got to find the body blows to get to the head and open up the head, so I think when you can stack shifts and set up the other guys for success, good things will continue to happen.”

Shayne Gostisbehere on his shot-block leading to Stankoven's goal and how it represents the team's mentality as a whole...

“You’ll hear it time and time again from a bunch of guys: we’re all pulling on the same side of the rope here, we’re all the same players in the sense that we’re going to do whatever we have to do to win. You look at Fish, you look at the skill guys, they’re blocking shots too. And especially the grinders, so to say, for our team, they do it every night. For me, it was my time. I didn’t have a choice, and fortunately, it went positively and the other way.”

Frederik Andersen on finding success despite facing fewer shots than other goalies…

“The shot count is useless for me to look at, to be honest. You’re still out there for the 60 minutes, you’ve still got to focus the same way. Just pay attention to your process, I think that’s really the key. As a goalie, you get older and you learn that stuff, you get better at it. Just resetting every shift when you can… Your starting point is the same, and I think that leads to success for me. If we score or they score, it’s all about the next play, and I think that’s how you stick with it throughout a long series and a long playoffs.”

Sebastian Aho on if the team can still improve after three straight wins...

“Absolutely. That’s just (our) approach. All year, and definitely in the playoffs, we watch video every day and try to find an edge to be even better, so we’re definitely not satisfied. Obviously, it’s a good game, a good win by us, but at the same time, we’re looking to improve every day. Coaching staff has done an unbelievable job to just keep pushing us, and hopefully we can take that next step in the next game.”

Nikolaj Ehlers on going back to Raleigh with a 3-1 series lead and a chance to advance on Friday...

“It feels great, obviously. We played really well tonight, but we’ve got to get one more, and it’s not going to come easy. They’re a great team, so we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

What's Next?

The Canes will return to Raleigh on Thursday before looking to close out the Habs in Game 5 on Friday.

Next Home Game: Friday, May 29 | ECF, Game 5 vs. Montreal | 8:00 p.m. ET How To Watch | Tickets | Parking