Logan Stankoven scored on a 2-on-1 rush in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens on May 28, 2026, taking a pass from Jackson Blake and putting the Carolina Hurricanes up 3-0 in the first period.
The play unfolded when Stankoven received the pass from Jackson Blake on a 2-on-1 rush and finished, making it 3-0 in the first — a sequence that quieted the Bell Centre and delivered a quick, decisive edge for Carolina.
The goal completed an opening-period burst that began when Sebastian Aho scored on a power play with 5:01 left in the first period. Jordan Staal followed within three minutes, and Stankoven’s finish sealed a three-goal frame that left Montreal chasing the game.
The Hurricanes reached Game 4 leading the series 2-1 after two tight overtime wins — both 3-2 — earlier in the matchup. That razor-thin margin made the first-period flurry in Montreal especially consequential: what had been a one-goal series lead became a statement night in a building where the Canadiens had opened the series by scoring four first-period goals in Game 1.
Carolina also survived two early Canadiens power plays without yielding a goal, a small but pivotal margin that allowed the Hurricanes to turn defense into attack. Aho’s goal stood out because he finished the regular season with 80 points and had not scored since Game 5 of the first round, making his power-play strike an unexpected spark that the team quickly built on.
The contrast inside the first period was stark: Montreal’s earlier series outburst — four goals in the opening period of Game 1 — suggested they could seize games quickly, but in Game 4 they produced chances and power plays without cashing in, while Carolina converted three times and left with a commanding edge.
That edge matters now because the series flips back to Raleigh for Game 5 on Friday night. Carolina’s rapid three-goal start in Game 4 hands the Hurricanes momentum and forces Montreal to respond on the road; for a Canadiens team that showed it can explode early, failing to score on two power plays and surrendering three first-period goals in return creates a pressure point heading into the next matchup.
Everything leaves Raleigh as the next chess move: Game 5 is scheduled for Friday night, and the Hurricanes will carry the psychological lift of a 3-0 first into a pivotal home game where a series lead could become decisive.
