Miller ‘does it all’ for Hurricanes in Game 4 win in Eastern Final

MONTREAL -- Like most of his teammates on the Carolina Hurricanes, K'Andre Miller has never been this close to the Stanley Cup Final. 

Twice as a member of the New York Rangers, he got within two wins of playing for the greatest trophy in sports, but each time the road ended there.

Now, after the Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series, the 26-year-old defenseman and his teammates are one win from a championship round that has eluded Carolina since its last appearance in 2006.

They can get that win in Game 5 at home on Friday (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

It’s what Miller envisioned when he was traded from New York to Carolina  on July 1, 2025, for Scott Morrow, a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional first-round pick in 2026 or 2027. The restricted free agent then signed an eight-year, $60 million contract ($7.5 million average annual value) with Carolina. 

“When I came in, I knew I had good opportunity to help this team move on to that next level,” Miller said. “Like I said, I’m just trying to absorb it, take it all in and learn from the other guys’ experiences and just try to do my part.” 

Miller did more than his part on Wednesday, with four blocked shots, one hit, two shots on goal, 24:41 of ice time and an assist on Jordan Staal’s goal that gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead at 16:07 of the first period.

Miller has a career-high eight points (all assists) in 12 playoff games.

“A great defenseman,” forward Sebastian Aho said. “He kind of does it all. He skates well, he has a really long reach that kind of breaks up plays a lot. He has really good offensive instinct as well, so he’s really been a great player for sure.”

Miller was partly responsible for the Hurricanes not being able to reach the Cup Final in previous years. In 2022, the Rangers defeated the Hurricanes in seven games in the second round, and then eliminated them again in 2024, winning in six games in the second round. 

Each time, New York was halfway to the Cup Final but lost in six games in the conference final, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 and the Florida Panthers in 2024. 

Miller said facing the Hurricanes was never an easy task. 

“I remember the first time playing against Carolina, I always talk about this, but my first time in Carolina, the first period, I think the shots were 15-2 and I think I went back for 12 breakouts and maybe got out on one of them,” Miller said. “So it’s definitely a new perspective to be a part of and not looking back. It’s been fun.” 

Fun and rewarding, with Miller one win from doing something he couldn’t do in New York: play in the Cup Final. To make that happen, Miller said the Hurricanes have to keep doing their thing. 

“Not change anything,” he said. “I think we’ve brought that intensity since Game 1 of the playoffs, and I don’t think anything has to change.”