"One of a Kind": 2025-26 Postseason Round 2, Game 4: Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers

The Carolina Hurricanes had a golden opportunity to finish the job on Saturday night. One win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, almost everything has gone the Canes' way to this point in the playoffs. In some ways, we're waiting for the shoe to drop and something to happen that derails this perfect ride. In other ways, we're sitting anxiously and hoping that the ride never ends. With their season on the line, the Flyers would need significantly more life and fight than they showed for most of Game 3. They're a team beaming with potential, but injuries and the Canes' defense have prevented their offense from getting started. With Owen Tippett still out, they needed to do everything in their power to get the series back to Raleigh.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

PHI (7:50)- Tyson Foerster (1) (Trevor Zegras (4) & Porter Martone (3))

2nd Period

CAR (12:35)- Jackson Blake (3) (K'Andre Miller (6) & Taylor Hall (7))

3rd Period

CAR (4:13)- Logan Stankoven (7) (Taylor Hall (8) & Jackson Blake (7))

PHI (5:52)- Alex Bump (2) (Travis Konecny (4))

Overtime

CAR (5:31)- Jackson Blake (4) (Taylor Hall (9) & Jaccob Slavin (1))

My Thoughts

The Flyers made a very bold decision to sit Matvei Michkov and play five rookies in this game, including a pair playing in their postseason debuts. I'm not here to say whether that decision was the right one or not, and I don't think tonight's result is a good way to evaluate that. Regardless of the decision, the Flyers gave the Hurricanes everything they could handle in this game. It came down to another overtime game, the sixth in eight total meetings between the regular season and this series. One-goal games are all too familiar for these two. Fortunately, the Canes came out on the right side of this one.

The Stankoven line took their lack of scoring in Game 3 personally because they didn't want to share with the rest of the team. Seven of the nine points tonight came from the second-line trio, including three each for Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall. Blake's first goal of the night was one that Dan Vladar probably would like back, coming from deep in the far dot along the wall. The second goal came from Logan Stankoven, finishing a beautiful 3-on-2 pass from Hall for his second assist of the night. Stankoven's goal was his seventh of the postseason, putting him atop the league for the moment. The series-winning strike also came on a pass from Hall to Blake. His shot hit Vladar's glove, but the Flyers' netminder couldn't get all of it. It popped over the line, sending the bench into a frenzy and into the next round.

One of the biggest moments of the night came when the Flyers earned their second 5-on-3 of the series midway through the second period. Up 1-0 at the time, a goal for the Flyers would've been potentially deadly for the Canes' chances to come back in the game. Instead, the Canes did what they've done the entire series. The penalty kill suffocated the Flyers' power play, getting through the 5-on-3 before drawing a penalty during the 5-on-4. They went 3-for-3 tonight, not having to kill another chance after overcoming that two-man disadvantage. 

The Canes finished the job in four games, becoming the first team to sweep back-to-back best-of-seven series and the fifth to win their first eight games of the postseason. The other four won their conference, and three of the four won the Stanley Cup. History is on their side, but history is meant to be left in the past. The Canes have to go out there and take their moment. They control their destiny, regardless of which team is on the other side. It'll take the entire roster to get the Canes four more wins, something they haven't done in 20 years. Everyone will keep them under a microscope until they prove they can get over this hump. Right now, that hump is the only thing in their way.

First Star of the Game: Jackson Blake

It felt only right that the Stankoven line would be responsible for the final goal. I debated giving this to Taylor Hall for his three-assist night, but it's hard to ignore what Jackson Blake did during this series and this game. Like Hall, Blake recorded three points, scoring two of the three goals. None of them was bigger than the last one, sending the Canes to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Around the League

Buffalo-Montreal: While the Canes have ended their series, this series has only played two games, with Montreal evening the series in Game 2 with a one-sided effort, including two goals from Alex Newhook, in a 5-1 win. (Tied 1-1)

Next Up: Your guess is as good as mine when trying to figure out the next time that the Hurricanes will play. Buffalo and Montreal have to go at least five games with the series tied at one game apiece, which takes them to at least Thursday. The absolute latest that the series could end is Game 7 on May 18. Until someone wins, we don't know when the conference finals will begin.