Hurricanes stay alive, shut out Panthers in Game 4, send series back to Raleigh

Chip Alexander, The News & Observer on May 26, 2025

Published in Hockey

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SUNRISE, Fla. — The Carolina Hurricanes still have hockey to play.

Faced with a win-or-else game against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference final, the Hurricanes responded with a 3-0 victory Monday in Game 4 behind goalie Frederik Andersen.

The Panthers, who had taken a 3-0 lead in the series, must travel back to Raleigh, N.C., for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Logan Stankoven gave the Canes their first lead of the series and Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal had late empty-net goals for the Canes.

Andersen, who did not play Game 3, was given the start Monday by Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour and turned back all 20 shots for the shutout.

For a team that had been overmatched and badly outscored in the first three games of the series, the Canes were the better team for much of Game 4.

They outhustled the Panthers for loose pucks, won board battles, played with a purpose in all three zones, blocked shots, killed off penalties, got key stops from Andersen.

For the first time in the series, the Hurricanes scored the first goal of the game, which also gave them their first lead of the series.

Stankoven, with an opening down the left wing, ripped a shot past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky at 10:45 of the second period. That came after a backhand pass from rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who earned his first point as an NHL player.

The Canes believed they had made it 2-0 in the third when Mark Jankowski took a pass from Eric Robinson in the low slot and whipped it past Bobrovsky,

The Panthers used a coach’s challenge, claiming offside on the entry, and won it as Jankowski was ruled offside. It stayed 1-0.

On one penalty kill in the third period, both Aho and Shayne Gostisbehere skidded across the ice to nudge the puck out of the Carolina zone.

In the second period, Canes forward Jordan Martinook made a key block to stop a shot by Aaron Ekblad on a Panthers power play.

Svechnikov tries to stay positive

After his offensive outburst in the first two rounds of the playoffs, when he scored eight goals in 10 games, Svechnikov has been held without a goal and was limited to one shot in the first three games of the series by the aggressive Panthers.

“Entering the offensive zone they’ve tried to challenge us at the blue line and they try to get the puck and play us tight all the time.,” Svechnikov said Monday. “We need to get the puck down low and try to outwork them.”

Svechnikov said it has been slightly frustrating trying to find offensive openings, but said, “Only good vibes right now and try to think positive, go out there and have the best game you can.

“It’s not that I’m not trying to do the right things. I’m trying to get the shots. I know I’m trying. It just hasn’t happened. But I have to stay positive.”

Forsling left Canes, shines with Panthers

Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling was once cast off by the Hurricanes. Now, for the second time in three seasons, he was in position to help end the Canes’ season and send them home.

Forsling, 28, was twice put on waivers by the Hurricanes, and was taken on waivers by the Panthers the second time in January 2021. The Swede said he was not given a reason by anyone in the Carolina organization for those decisions.

“Nothing. They never told me anything,” he said Monday after an optional skate before Game 4.

Since coming to the Panthers, Forsling has gotten bigger physically and developed into one of the league’s most effective D-men. He also has a Stanley Cup ring after last year’s run.

“I put a lot of work in the gym, off the ice,” he said. “Then, the work on the ice, of course. A lot of it is confidence, too. When you have an organization that has a belief in you, a lot of things can change.”

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