The Bell Centre opened with a roar and closed in something closer to a sigh. Carolina took Montreal's home rink, smothered it for sixty minutes, and walked out with a 4–0 win in Game 4 that puts the Hurricanes one victory from their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. Frederik Andersen stopped all 18 shots he saw. The series is now 3–1.
The 167 seconds that broke the game open
The first period was scoreless until midway through, the kind of cagey opening that has defined this series. Then, on a power play with 5:01 left, Sebastian Aho stepped into a one-timer from the right circle and beat Jakub Dobes clean. From that puck drop, Montreal had 2:47 to find its feet before Carolina took the game away.
Jordan Staal made it 2–0 with 3:53 left, tipping a centering feed from K'Andre Miller into the slot. Logan Stankoven added the third with 2:14 remaining in the period, finishing a 2-on-1 with Jackson Blake. Three goals, 167 seconds, and a building that had been ready to lift its team back into the series went almost completely silent. Andrei Svechnikov's empty-netter with 1:54 left in regulation was a formality.
Andersen's quiet masterclass
Eighteen saves is not the kind of stat line you build a Conn Smythe campaign on, but the context matters. Carolina's structure has been so tight through this run that Andersen rarely faces a barrage; what he does face tends to be high-grade. This was his third shutout of these playoffs in twelve games and his fifth in a Carolina jersey, surpassing Cam Ward for the franchise record. The Hurricanes are now 11–1 in the 2026 postseason. That is not a hot streak. That is a team playing at a level few rosters reach.
Montreal's flat start was the whole story
The Canadiens had ridden Bell Centre energy through most of this spring, including the 6–2 thrashing they delivered in Game 1. Game 4 was the inverse — a tentative opening twenty minutes, no answer when the storm hit, and a third period that played like garbage time. Dobes was not the problem; two of the three first-period goals were essentially open looks created by clean Carolina puck movement. The home side mustered eighteen shots, generated a handful of clean chances, and could not solve Andersen even once.
Why this series feels decided
Carolina has now won three in a row, including back-to-back overtime wins in Games 2 and 3 that could have gone either way. Add a four-goal shutout on the road and the trend line is brutal: the Canes are killing penalties at a top-three rate this postseason, their depth scoring is clicking — four different goal scorers in Game 4 — and they have a goaltender playing the best hockey of his playoff career. Comebacks from 3–1 down do happen in the NHL, but historically only about one in seven teams pulls it off. Montreal will need to win Game 5 in North Carolina to even ask the question.
Three things that decided it
- Power-play conversion. Aho's opener came on the man advantage. Montreal had its chances on the power play too and produced nothing. In a tight series, the special teams gap is often the whole margin.
- Carolina's second-chance defending. The Hurricanes have spent this entire playoff run boxing out, clearing rebounds, and turning broken plays into outlet passes. They turned a hostile Bell Centre crowd into a non-factor by refusing to give Montreal anything off the cycle.
- Goaltending differential. Andersen made his 18 stops look easy. Dobes had to be perfect to keep Game 4 in reach and gave up three goals in under three minutes. Whichever team gets the better goaltending performance in Game 5 will likely close it out — or stay alive trying.
What comes next
Game 5 is Friday night in Raleigh. Carolina has home ice, momentum, and Andersen in the form of his life. Win, and the Canes face the Vegas Golden Knights — who swept Colorado on May 26 — for the Cup. Lose, and the series heads back to Montreal for Game 6 on Sunday, where one of the loudest buildings in playoff hockey will have one more night to write a comeback story.
If you want live scores, period-by-period updates, and shot charts from Game 5 as it happens, follow along on Scorelisto's hockey page or pop back to the blog for the next recap.
FAQ
How many times has a team come back from 3–1 down in the NHL playoffs? It has happened around thirty times in league history out of more than two hundred opportunities — roughly a 13% conversion rate. Notable recent examples include the 2014 Kings and the 2010 Flyers.
When is Game 5? Friday night at 8 p.m. Eastern at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, with the series winner moving on to face Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final.
How many shutouts has Andersen had this postseason? Three in twelve games. That total ties him for the league lead this spring and gives him five career playoff shutouts in a Hurricanes sweater, a franchise record.
When would the Stanley Cup Final start? If Carolina closes out on Friday, expect Game 1 of the Final in Vegas in the first week of June. The NHL typically pencils in a two- or three-day gap between series.