The Carolina Hurricanes needed a win in Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. They had lost their last 15 games in the East Final. And a Monday night loss to the Florida Panthers would have ended their season. Thankfully for them, they were able to avoid another sweep.
Logan Stankoven scored a massive goal in the second period to get things started. Carolina would add insurance in the third to put the finishing touches on this victory. The Hurricanes defeated the Panthers 3-0 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, in Game 4. Carolina trails the series 3-1, but they have some life entering Game 5.
Logan Stankoven's SNIPE opens up the scoring for Carolina in Game 4!#RaiseUp | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/wkz7X5USkn
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) May 27, 2025
The Panthers did play a bit shorthanded in Game 4. Forwards AJ Greer and Sam Reinhart did not dress for this game. Neither did defenseman Niko Mikkola, who scored twice in Florida's Game 3 win. Still, this is an enormous confidence-boosting win for the Hurricanes.
Hurricanes earn one more game in East Final
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The Hurricanes had little room for error in this contest. Carolina needed to play a near-perfect game against the Panthers to pull this out. Ideally, the team would like to see more offense in such a crucial contest. In saying this, they could not have asked for a better performance defensively.
Carolina put pressure on the Panthers all night long. They routinely got in passing lanes and disrupted their momentum. They also blocked a ton of shots. Veteran goalie Frederik Andersen did have to work a bit in this contest. But his defense ahead of him made some major plays to keep Florida off the board.
The Hurricanes still have a ton of work to do in this series. Winning their first East Final game since 2006 is certainly a weight off their shoulders. However, they need to turn in a few more performances like this if they want any hope of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.