The Carolina Hurricanes Montreal Canadiens series took a turn in Game 4. Carolina rattled off three goals in the opening period and got strong goaltending from Frederik Andersen. The Hurricanes used those things to roll to a 4-0 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Logan Stankoven each scored in the first and Andersen stopped 18 shots for his third shutout of the playoffs. Andrei Svechnikov put in an empty-net goal for Carolina with just under two minutes left to play to finish off the scoring.
Jakub Dobes recorded 38 saves and settled in after a shaky three-minute stretch in the third period. However, Dobes didn’t get any help from his offence. Montreal will have to travel to Raleigh for Game 5 to stave off elimination at the Leonovo Center at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Let’s take a look at three reasons that the Montreal Canadiens are staring down the barrel of elimination against the Carolina Hurricanes.
3 Reasons the Carolina Hurricanes Montreal Canadiens Series is on the Brink
Lack of Shots
As Michael Scott (or was it Wayne Gretzky) said on The Office once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Montreal has found a way to win games despite not putting plenty of pucks on goal. However, not putting shots at the net does eventually catch up to a team.
The Habs only managed to put up 12 shots in Game 2 and 13 shots in Game 3, which were both overtime losses. Montreal did manage to fire more shots at Andersen, but the Dane turned them all aside. Andersen hasn’t gotten a lot of volume this series. However, he’s stepped up when he’s had to in the Eastern Final.
Montreal didn’t record a shot in the third period until less than five minutes left in the frame. Martin St. Louis‘ team will have to show more urgency in these situations if they want to survive. The Habs will need to muster more than three shots in a period to extend the Carolina Hurricanes Montreal Canadiens series.
(Credit Image: © Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire
No Point of Entry
One reason the Habs have struggled to generate shots is their struggles to get out of their own. Montreal spent 50.11 percent of the time in their defensive zone in Game 2. The third game showed some improvements to 47.2 percent.
Part of the reason the Canadiens have struggled is the Hurricanes’ relentless forecheck. Carolina has made life miserable for Montreal, which has struggled to carry the puck into the opposing end. The Habs have only been in the offensive zone for one-third of the series entering Game 4.
We expected to see the Habs do more chip-ins into the Canes’ zone. Montreal would then chase down the puck, but Carolina still managed to frustrate the home side. The Canadiens will have to take care of the puck better in order to extend the series beyond Game 5. However, it may have to require them to give up possession for a little bit in order to get it back.
Not Cooking at Home
The Canadiens have been a tough road team during this recent run. They’ve won Game 7s at the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres. However, staying alive in the Piedmont might be too tall of an order.
As mentioned before, Montreal is strong away from the Bell Centre. However, the confines have not been friendly to the Canadiens in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Game 4 defeat was the sixth time that the Habs have dropped a game at home.
Montreal has lost at least two games home in each of the first three series. The Habs will have one more chance at home, but they’ll have to show up and take Game 5 to send the series north of the border for Game 6.
Main photo by: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
