The Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens will square off for the fourth time in the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre on Wednesday night, as they Canes will look to push the Habs to the brink while Montreal will try to even the series heading back to Raleigh for Game 5.
The Hurricanes have successfully shaken off a humiliatingly bad performance in Game 1 that left us all to wonder if the issues plaguing them in the third round were more intrinsic than a result of playing historically strong Florida Panther teams perfectly built to beat them.
Nikolaj Ehlers’ overtime heroics in Game 2 followed by those of Andrei Svechnikov in Game 3 have made this unquestionably the most successful season the franchise has had since 2006, and a sixth-straight road playoff win on Wednesday would have them one win away from a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
These wins have not come easily, even as the territorial dominance that delivered them has. The Canadiens have mustered just 25 shots total across the past eight periods of play, and there is no reason to believe a reversal in the flow of the game and puck possession is coming on Wednesday.
That means Frederik Andersen, who will certainly have the crease again, will have to be sharp and ready for the few high-danger chances Montreal will inevitably generate, as they remain lethal on the counter-attack and have the high-end talent to win a game on the power play if given enough man advantages.
Carolina will have to play another disciplined game and continue to lean on Montreal by playing physically and tilting the ice. If goaltender Jakub Dobes slips even a little bit, the Hurricanes could ride an early 2-0 edge to a blowout win that would likely break the Canadiens’ spirit.
But through six meetings between the teams this year, Carolina has proven unable to muster such a result. We still have not seen the Hurricanes deliver a true A-plus performance this postseason, especially offensively.
Is one coming tonight, or will Montreal be able to dig deep and do enough to get the series back even? The Vegas Golden Knights are through in the Western Conference and awaiting a Stanley Cup Final opponent. How long will they be waiting?
Here’s how to check out the action…
Time: 8:00 PM EST
TV/Streaming: TNT/TruTV/HBO Max
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
Odds: Hurricanes -150 ML, Hurricanes -1.5 +172, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.