The Carolina Hurricanes fought off elimination and avoided a fourth consecutive sweep in the conference finals with a dominant 3–0 win over the Florida Panthers on Monday night. The Game 4 win in Florida forces a Game 5 back in Carolina on Wednesday and also ends a painful franchise streak for the Hurricanes.
With the win, Carolina snapped a seven-game postseason losing streak to the Panthers and ended a 15-game losing streak in the Eastern Conference Finals — the longest streak in NHL history for a team in any playoff round other than the Stanley Cup Final. Their last win in a conference finals came in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres in 2006, a game in which current head coach Rod Brind’Amour scored the series-winning goal. When the streak began in 2009, current captain Jordan Staal was on the other side of the ice, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins sweep the Hurricanes en route to a Stanley Cup.
Carolina played with urgency and desperation in Game 4, delivering their best performance of the series. Logan Stankoven broke the 0-0 tie through the second period, giving the Hurricanes their first lead of the series. In the third, Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal each added empty-net goals to seal the win.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen, who had been pulled in Game 2 and benched in Game 3 after allowing nine goals on 36 shots, responded with a strong performance. Andersen stopped all 20 shots he faced, earning his fifth career playoff shutout. Before this series, he had allowed just 12 goals across nine playoff games.
Game 5 is set for Wednesday night in Carolina, where the Hurricanes will look to continue their comeback and keep their season alive.
LOGAN STANKOVEN 🚨
— NHL (@NHL) May 27, 2025
The @Canes have the first goal in Game 4! #StanleyCup
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🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/3iQuBcBGyq
