Frederik Andersen returned to the crease and delivered a stellar performance with 20 saves for his fifth career playoff shutout, as the Carolina Hurricanes avoided elimination with a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Monday night—marking their first Eastern Conference final victory in 20 years.
Logan Stankoven scored the lone goal Carolina needed, while Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal added empty-netters late in the third to secure the win. The Hurricanes had previously lost 15 straight games in the East final, having been swept in 2009, 2019, and 2023, and dropping the first three games of this series.
But the sweep was avoided. Carolina still trails Florida 3-1 in the series, but the outlook is far brighter than it was heading into Game 4. The Hurricanes effectively shut down the Panthers’ offense, allowing just 12 shots over the first two periods and holding the defending Stanley Cup champions at bay.
Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots in the loss. The Panthers were without key players Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, and A.J. Greer due to injuries.
Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina. If necessary, Game 6 will return to Sunrise on Friday.
Stankoven broke the ice midway through the second period, receiving a cross-ice feed from Alexander Nikishin at the blue line and skating in alone to beat Bobrovsky high on the glove side. It marked Carolina’s first lead of the series—and their first in an Eastern Conference final since the second period of Game 2 against Florida in 2023.
In total, the Hurricanes had gone 364 minutes and 53 seconds—more than six full regulation games—without holding a lead in the conference final. Monday’s win was their first in the round since Game 7 of the 2006 East final against Buffalo, during their Stanley Cup championship run.
Carolina also made a goaltending change for Game 4, returning to Andersen after giving Pyotr Kochetkov the start in Game 3.
