Hurricanes win Game 4, snap 15-game Eastern Conference Final skid
The Carolina Hurricanes avoided elimination by blanking the Florida Panthers 3-0 in Monday's Game 4.
The win ended the Canes' 15-game Eastern Conference Final losing streak that dated back to 2009.
Carolina's last win at this stage came June 1, 2006, in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres when then-captain Rod Brind'Amour scored the game-winner to send the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final. Brind'Amour, now the club's coach, led the franchise to its only Stanley Cup win that year.
The Hurricanes were swept in three straight trips to the conference finals - by the Penguins in 2009, the Bruins in 2019, and the Panthers in 2023 - before dropping the first three games against Florida this year.
Frederik Andersen, who was benched for Game 3 in favor of Pyotr Kochetkov following back-to-back poor performances to open the series, bounced back in a huge way with a 20-save shutout.
Logan Stankoven scored the game-winner with a top-corner snipe midway through the second period. Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal added empty-netters.