2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 4: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
CAR leads 2-1
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT**
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the United States: TNT, truTV
Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
For the first time since the opening game of the series versus the Buffalo Sabres, and just the second time in this post-season, the Canadiens fins themselves trailing in a series. Montreal’s response to going down 1-0 in the conference semifinals was a 5-1 win in Game 2. They have one four-goal win in this series already, but the goal tonight should just be to get a third goal that would have made the difference in each of the past two games.
Unlike the Sabres, the Hurricanes aren’t an inexperienced group that doesn’t know how to play with a series lead. With two sweeps under their belt, they have developed the killer instinct to put teams away, so the Canadiens won’t have an easier time tonight just because they need the game more. This Hurricanes team has its sights set on the Stanley Cup Final after falling short twice in three years entering this post-season. They know they can’t let up, and it’s unlikely that they will.
Martin St-Louis believes he has the best version of a lineup in place already, and hasn’t made any changes tonight. The team is getting outpossessed and spending a lot of time defending, but they have had chances to win each of the last two games, and the feeling is that a bit more of a push can get them the win to tie the series before heading back to Raleigh on Friday.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #13 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #15 Alex Newhook | #71 Jake Evans | #93 Ivan Demidov |
| #76 Zachary Bolduc | #90 Joe Veleno | #77 Kirby Dach |
| #85 Alexandre Texier | #24 Phillip Danault | #17 Josh Anderson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #53 Noah Dobson |
| #47 Jayden Struble | #48 Lane Hutson |
| #21 Kaiden Guhle | #45 Alexandre Carrier |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #75 Jakub Dobeš | #32 Jacob Fowler |
Scratched: Owen Beck, Adam Engström, Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeault, David Reinbacher, Arber Xhekaj, Florian Xhekaj
Carolina Hurricanes projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #37 Andrei Svechnikov | #20 Sebastian Aho | #24 Seth Jarvis |
| #71 Taylor Hall | #22 Logan Stankoven | #53 Jackson Blake |
| #27 Nikolaj Ehlers | #11 Jordan Staal | #48 Jordan Martinook |
| #28 William Carrier | #77 Mark Jankowski | #50 Eric Robinson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #74 Jaccob Slavin | #5 Jalen Chatfield |
| #19 K’Andre Miller | #26 Sean Walker |
| #4 Shayne Gostisbehere | #21 Alexander Nikishin |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #31 Frederik Andersen | #32 Brandon Bussi |
Scratched: Charlie Cerrato, Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Charles Alexis Legault, Mikey Reilly
