Canadiens fall 4-0 in Game 4, face 3-1 series hole against Hurricanes
MONTREAL — The Canadiens have come back from 3-1 down before. Twice this spring, against Buffalo and then Tampa Bay. That context is the only reason anyone in this city might still pretend there’s a path. After Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to Carolina, the task is to win three straight against a team that has outscored them 12-3 in three games. And if you watched it, you know that’s not a real chance.
A full Bell Centre — 21,273 — rose for the anthem hoping to see the series tied. It didn’t last the period. Three goals in 2 minutes and 54 seconds, a Frederik Andersen shutout, and an 0-for-4 power play left the Canadiens facing elimination Friday night in Raleigh. If they lose, Canada’s Cup drought hits 33 years and the Hurricanes advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.
Three goals in under three minutes
For 15 minutes, nothing. Tight checking, few chances, the kind of game Montreal needed. Then Sebastian Aho found space in the slot and beat Jacob Fowler. The building sagged. Off the next faceoff, K’Andre Miller set up Jordan Staal from almost the same spot. 74 seconds. Goal number two.
A minute later, rookie Lane Hutson had a breakaway on Andersen, but the puck stayed out. Carolina turned the rush around, a three-on-two, and suddenly it was 3-0. The official time between the first goal and the third: 2:54. Martin St. Louis said after the game that his team’s structure vanished during that stretch. Another way to put it: a club that went seven games in the first round and seven in the second now looks gassed, and a Hurricanes team that swept two series looks fresh. Andersen stopped 28 shots with the kind of calm that says he’s already thinking about the next round. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-netter with 97 seconds left.
Montreal’s power play hasn’t scored in three games. On Wednesday, four opportunities produced two shots.
Playoff run pumps money into Montreal
However grim the on-ice product, the Habs’ deepest run since 2021 has given the city a shot of playoff cash. Downtown hotels were near capacity on game nights. Bars on Ste. Catherine Street stayed packed past midnight. Team stores reported certain jersey sizes sold out until July. CBC’s broadcast averaged more than 2.5 million viewers, with Francophone audiences pushing the total higher on Radio-Canada.
It adds up. But all that extra business won’t erase the sense that this series ended with the first-period meltdown. A well-timed economic boost does nothing for a 3-1 deficit against a machine.
Game 5: Friday in Raleigh
The Canadiens need one win just to get the series back to Montreal. They’ve done this dance before. Nick Suzuki, who leads the team with 10 playoff goals, told reporters Thursday that the only objective is Friday. Fair. But after three games, Andersen has faced 94 shots and stopped 91. Fowler, 21 and playing every minute since the opening round, has been average. The team in front of him hasn’t helped.
Carolina has lost once this postseason — Game 1 at home. Since then, they’ve outscored opponents 20-5 in six straight wins. The last time a Canadian team hoisted the Cup was 1993. That number will either stay stuck at 33 years Friday night, or the Hurricanes will be the ones celebrating. Andersen’s save percentage in this series is .968. So, not much math.