Key Points
- Frederik Andersen makes 18 saves for his fifth career playoff shutout as a Hurricane, breaking Cam Ward's franchise record
- Andersen's three shutouts this postseason also set a new Hurricanes single-postseason record
- Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven score within 2 minutes, 47 seconds in the first period
- Carolina leads the Eastern Conference Final 3-1, one win from its first Stanley Cup Final since 2006
Frederik Andersen stopped all 18 shots he faced at Bell Centre on Wednesday night, and the Carolina Hurricanes scored three first-period goals in 2 minutes, 47 seconds to shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina now leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can clinch its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006 at home in Game 5 on Friday.
Two franchise records in one night
The shutout was Andersen's fifth in a Hurricanes uniform across the playoffs of his career, surpassing the four set by Cam Ward — the goaltender who backstopped Carolina to the 2006 Cup. His three shutouts this spring also set a new Hurricanes single-postseason record. Andersen has not allowed more than two goals in any game of this playoff run.
The first period closed it
Sebastian Aho opened the scoring on the power play at 14:59. Jordan Staal followed at 16:07. Logan Stankoven made it 3-0 at 17:46. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-netter with 1:54 remaining in the third period — his second straight game with a goal after his overtime winner in Game 3.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis pointed to early execution as the failure: "We lacked execution a lot early, turnovers."
Game 5 in Raleigh sets up a possible Vegas final
Game 5 is Friday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, 8 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV and MAX. A Carolina win would send the franchise back to the Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, who swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. The Hurricanes-Canadiens series flipped after Carolina's 3-2 overtime win in Game 2 evened the series at one apiece — Wednesday's shutout is the third straight game Carolina has held Montreal under three goals.
Nikolaj Ehlers kept the tone tight: "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."
Source: NHL.com. Andersen franchise records via ESPN and Daily Faceoff.
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