Carolina did their playoff business in Montreal. The Hurricanes beat the Canadiens 4-0 at the Bell Centre in the NHL Conference Championships, powering to a 3-1 series lead in front of 20,962 fans. Three first period goals set the tone, and Frederik Andersen handled the rest with an 18-save shutout. Montreal held the faceoff edge, but Carolina’s shot volume and structure carried the night.

First-period surge puts Carolina in control

Carolina’s special teams struck first as Sebastian Aho buried a power-play goal at 15 minutes, with Shayne Gostisbehere and Nikolaj Ehlers on the helpers. Jordan Staal doubled the lead two minutes later, finishing an even-strength sequence fed by K’Andre Miller and Ehlers. Logan Stankoven added a third at 18 minutes, converting a swift transition from Jackson Blake and Gostisbehere. Montreal did generate two first-period power plays, but the Hurricanes killed both without much fuss.

The numbers showed how quickly it tilted. Carolina outshot Montreal 12-5 in the opening frame and held 64 percent of the faceoffs in the period. The Canadiens were stuck in their zone too often, a theme that returned later. By intermission, the visitors had a 3-0 cushion and the Bell Centre was searching for a spark.

Goaltending and shot quality make the difference

Andersen’s playoff shutout was calm and clean, with 18 stops across all situations. At the other end, Jakub Dobeš kept Montreal afloat with 39 saves on 42 shots for a .929 save percentage. Carolina piled up a 43-18 shots on goal advantage and kept most of their looks inside the dots. The shot quality gap tracked with the data, with the Hurricanes’ average shot distance at 10.8 compared to Montreal’s 15.8.

Possession metrics backed up what the eye test saw. Carolina posted 66.9 percent Corsi and 71.6 percent Fenwick, tilting attempts and unblocked attempts heavily their way. Montreal did get in front of pucks, logging 23 blocks led by Alexandre Carrier’s seven. It just wasn’t enough to dent the flow or turn chances into rushes the other way.

Special teams, discipline and the closer

Carolina went 1 of 6 on the power play and drew momentum from extended zone time, even when they did not score. Montreal finished 0 of 2 with the man advantage and created only one power-play shot on target. The third period included four 10-minute misconducts as tempers warmed, with Kaiden Guhle and Jayden Struble on the home side, and Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski for the visitors. Hits finished even at 30-30, but takeaways favored the Hurricanes 7-3.

Andrei Svechnikov applied the final coat of paint with an empty-netter at 18:06 of the third, assisted by Jalen Chatfield. That made it 4-0 and closed the door on any late twist. Montreal still owned the late faceoffs at 74 percent in the third, but Carolina’s defensive layer prevented clean entries and follow-up looks. The night’s rhythm stayed consistent: Hurricanes shot volume, one-and-done shifts for the Habs.

Standouts and a 3-1 cushion

Jordan Staal earned First Star honors with the 2-0 goal, strong two-way shifts and a 55 percent night on draws. Ehlers was the Second Star after a two-assist performance, contributing to the first and second goals. Miller took the Third Star with an assist, a plus-2 and four blocks in 24-plus minutes. Gostisbehere chipped in two assists, while Stankoven scored with a game-high seven shots on goal and Svechnikov fired six.

For Montreal, Dobeš battled and their centers did their part at the dots as Phillip Danault won 63.2 percent of his faceoffs and Jake Evans won 52.4 percent. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki found limited shooting lanes, combining for four shots on goal. On Sofascore, fans can dive into the box score, player heat maps and Sofascore Rating for a deeper read on who drove the result. The series now swings with Carolina up 3-1, and one win away from closing it out.