First period barrage helps Hurricanes hammer Canadiens, lead EFC 3-1
· Yahoo Sports
May 28 (UPI) -- Frederik Anderson made 18 saves, while Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven each scored in a span of less than three minutes to power a win over the Montreal Canadiens, moving the Carolina Hurricanes to within one victory of their first Stanley Cup Final berth in 20 years.
The Hurricanes' barrage occurred with about five minutes remaining in the first period of the 4-0 triumph in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday in Montreal. Aho lit the lamp off a power play to start the surge. Staal beat Canadiens net minder Jakub Dobes 68 seconds later. Stankoven scored a third Hurricanes goal with 2:14 remaining in the frame.
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"When you prepare for the game, you are focusing on the start, focusing on the first shift and kinda go from there," Aho told reporters. "Obviously, we had some moments in the first period...that kinda gave us momentum.
"Then, were able to score a few goals and kinda take over the game."
Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov scored the final goal of the night off an empty netter with 1:54 remaining. The Hurricanes, who outshot their foes 43-18, held the Canadiens to just three attempts in the third period.
Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and forward Nikolaj Ehlers registered two assists apiece. Dobes made 39 saves in the loss. His 487 stops this postseason are the most among playoff goaltenders.
With Wednesday's win, the Hurricanes improved to an NHL-best 11-1 this postseason. They surrendered a league-low 22.2 shots and 1.67 goals per game during that run.
"I think it's just a compliment to the boys, the coaches, the organization as a hole, just preparing us," Gostisbehere said. "To be honest, it doesn't feel like 11-1. We take a one game at a time approach. I know it's cliche, but you aren't looking at an overall record, but just the next game."
The top-seeded Hurricanes (3-1) will host the No. 3 Canadiens (1-3) in Game 5 of the best-of-seven game series at 8 p.m. EDT Friday in Raleigh, N.C. Game 6, if necessary, will be Sunday in Montreal.
The winner of the series will face the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes last played in the title series in 2005-06, when they beat the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game series.