Round 2, Game 4: Preview, How to Watch and Game Thread
The Hurricanes can punch their ticket to a third conference final in four years Saturday.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 07: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates with teammates after a 4-1 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 07, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images The Carolina Hurricanes have the opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. If they can do it, they would become the first team since the NHL moved to having the postseason comprised entirely of best-of-7 series to open with two sweeps to start a playoff run.
Game 3 on Thursday was a close one until the Hurricanes’ advantage on special teams came up big, as a shorthanded goal from Jalen Chatfield gave Carolina a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish before Andrei Svechnikov buried his first of the postseason on a one-timer on the power play to make it 3-1. Now, an overmatched (and banged up) Flyers team with its backs against the wall will take its best shot at forcing the series back to Raleigh. Rick Tocchet’s crew will still be without key defensive forward Noah Cates, but it remains to be seen whether speedy winger Owen Tippett will be ready to draw back into the lineup for the first time this series or not.
He’s been participating in morning skates, but has not been ready to go. The Hurricanes announced on Friday that they would not hold a morning skate in advance of Saturday’s game, but that head coach Rod Brind’Amour would be available to the media a few hours prior to puck drop. In terms of the lineup, Philadelphia’s attempt to mix things up after Game 3 was well out of hand could force Brind’Amour’s hand to dress Nic Deslauriers to serve as a deterrent against his former teammates.
When the Hurricanes were in a similar spot against a chippy Ottawa team in Game 4 last round, Deslauriers drew in for a banged up Nikolaj Ehlers, and it certainly didn’t hurt to have the veteran enforcer’s presence in the lineup on that day. Frederik Andersen will most certainly get the nod between the pipes again today. The Great Dane leads the NHL in the postseason with a .