The Carolina Hurricanes looked rusty in the opening game of the 2026 Eastern Conference finals after an 11-day layoff and their first loss of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they quickly righted the ship and are one victory away from their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 20 years.
Carolina tries to get a matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights in the tournament when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. After sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers, the Hurricanes lost 6-2 to the Canadiens in the series opener despite having a 33-second lead in the contest.
The club quickly took control of the game with two 3-2 overtime wins and a 4-0 win on Wednesday. Frederik Andersen stopped all 18 shots he faced en route to the league’s third-best shutout of the postseason and Logan Stankoven scored his team-best eighth goal for the Hurricanes, who are 1-16 after losing four straight in the Eastern Conference finals since defeating the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 in their only Stanley Cup appearance.
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The shutout was Andersen’s eighth career playoff shutout and fifth with Carolina, a franchise record. The 36-year-old Danish goalie also lowered his goals-against average this past season to an NHL-best 1.44 as he allowed more than two tallies just once in 12 games.
Sebastian Aho, captain Jordan Staal and Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first half for top-seeded Carolina, which improved to 6-0 in the series. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal, while Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere recorded two assists.
Ehlers (two goals, two assists) leads the Hurricanes with four points in the conference finals and five players have scored three points. Svechnikov and Eric Robinson also scored twice in the series.
Phillip Danault (one goal, three assists) led the Canadiens with four points, while Juraj Slafkovsky (two, one), Cole Caufield (one, two) and captain Nick Suzuki (three assists) all recorded three. Josh Anderson is tied with Slafkovsky for the team lead with two goals.
I NHL betting The odds at major sportsbooks see the Hurricanes as big favorites in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, as they are listed at about -232 on the money line. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are rated at +189. Carolina, which has opened the scoring in each of the first four games of the series, is -170 at DraftKings Sportsbook to extend the streak on Friday. Learn You can learn how to bet odds here.
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END GAME OF EASTERN CHALLENGE 5 |
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TEAM |
THE DRAFTKINGS |
FANDUEL |
CAESAR |
BETMGM |
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Carolina Hurricanes |
-225 |
-240 |
-225 |
-235 |
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The Montreal Canadiens |
+185 |
+195 |
+185 |
+190 |
Hurricanes vs. Canadiens Game 5 is the best bet
- Frederik Andersen Under 18.5 saves (-105, BetMGM)
- K’Andre Miller 1+ assists (+176, FanDuel)
Frederik Andersen Under 18.5 saves
The Hurricanes allowed 22 or more shots in each game of their first-round series against the Senators but it got tougher with each passing game. Carolina has held Philadelphia to fewer than 20 shots in three of its four contests and has given up fewer than 19 in each of its last three conference finals games. Since making 34 saves in Game 2 in the second round, Andersen has not used more than 18 shots in any of his six outings. The Hurricanes allowed just 12 shots in the last game at Lenovo Center, and given that they’re one win away from going forward, I expect them to hold strong to prevent Andersen from seeing too much rubber on Friday.
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K’Andre Miller 1+ assist
Miller has been praised for his defensive play in the postseason, but he has also contributed on the other end of the ice. The 26-year-old blue-liner is third on the Hurricanes with eight assists in the playoffs, one behind co-leaders Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake. Miller, who was acquired from the New York Rangers last July, entered this year’s playoffs with nine assists in 43 postseason games. There was a trend with Miller’s assists, as he scored a goal in each of the final two games of Carolina’s first series. Entering Game 5 with help in the past two contests, I like that pattern to continue as the Canes look to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
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