Hall has Hurricanes on verge of Eastern Conference Final after winning goal in Game 4

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Taylor Hall first had to defend himself a little bit because, well, how in the world was he that wide open at the far blue line for a breakaway when the puck was below the goal line on the other end of the ice?

"Everyone's asking me if I was cheating for offense," Hall said, gap-toothed smiling.

He wasn't. He was making a smart read, one that led to maybe the most important goal of the Carolina Hurricanes' season to date.

Hall scored on a breakaway set up by a stretch pass from Jack Roslovic at 8:24 of the third period Monday, giving the Hurricanes a two-goal cushion in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round.

It proved to be the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals that gave Carolina a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

"I just kind of read that Sean (Walker) was going to rim the puck around and 'Rosy' was going to have a bit of time," Hall said. "If I didn't get a breakaway there, we were going to exit with possession. I thought it was just something to try. 'Rosy' and I made eye contact and he made a great pass. We needed that goal."

It came 3:06 after Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun scored to make it 2-1, ending Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen's shutout streak at 123:24.

"It kind of gave us a breath," Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov said. "It's an individual play, an individual read to stay on the far blue line. He got a puck and he used his chance and basically finished the game."

Hall also made the play along the boards in the defensive zone to set up Walker's goal that put Carolina ahead 4-2 with 3:15 remaining.

"He won the Hart (Trophy) for a reason," Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis said. "He's an elite player. He still is. You love to see a guy like that get rewarded, and to come up (big) in a situation like this when it really matters was awesome to see."

Hall's performance, and that breakaway goal, was exactly what the Hurricanes were hoping to get from him when they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in the same three-team trade that brought Mikko Rantanen to Carolina for a short-lived stay on Jan. 24.

It's the kind of goal and performance Hall could not envision when he was in Chicago earlier this season, so far removed from playoff contention.

"It's what you kind of train for and look forward to when you're in the summer, you're in the dog days. Certainly when I was in Chicago in the bottom of the League, the bottom of the standings," Hall said. "I knew I was going to get traded here. I didn't know what to expect from the group or the fans, and obviously I have felt really comfortable here. It's an amazing group of guys. It's been really fun to get to this point and to know we have a lot more left."

Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said the key for Hall when he got here was a fresh start after a rough go in Chicago, where he had 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) in 46 games but couldn't make a difference at all in the standings.

"It was good to just give him a clean slate and say, 'Look, you show us what you have,'" Brind'Amour said. "That's kind of what he's done. He's come in here just wanting to be a part of it and not anything more than that. He's clearly been a good addition for us."

Hall had an inkling it would work for him in Carolina because of the team and the style of play. He had enough experience playing against the Hurricanes, particularly when he was with the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins.

He had 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 31 regular-season games after the trade, including 15 (eight goals, seven assists) in his last 17 games.

Hall had a goal and two assists in five games against the Devils in the first round. He then signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract to stay in Carolina on April 30, and now he has a goal and two assists in four games against Washington.

"I had a feeling it would be a good match," Hall said. "I played a lot of games here with Jersey. We had a playoff series with Boston here (in 2021-22). As soon as I got here and they gave the systems rundown and showed some video, I was even more happy with how things were probably going to go. It was a tough start for me statistically but got going and found a good rhythm. Off the ice I felt like a part of the group really quickly, and that helped everything else. But the style of play, it's aggressive, it's in your face and once you get the hang of it, there's not a lot of thinking and that bodes well for my game."

NHL.com independent correspondent Kurt Dusterberg contributed to this report