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Martin St-Louis is attacked by Canadiens fans directly after Game 4 loss at the Bell Centre

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Skyler Walker
May 28, 2026  (1:28)
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May 27, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis during the first period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Sebastian Aho struck early, and Martin St-Louis watched the Canadiens unravel in a 4-0 loss at the Bell Centre.

The final score only made the night look worse. Montreal was already buried after a first period that turned the building flat and left the bench searching for answers.

Aho opened the scoring on the power play at 14:59. Then Jordan Staal doubled the lead 1:08 later and Logan Stankoven made it 3-0 at 17:46.

That three-goal burst in 2:47 changed the entire game. Carolina grabbed full control, and the Canadiens never got close to slowing the pace.

The numbers from the opening frame told the story fast. The Hurricanes put 13 shots on goal, while Montreal managed only 5.

That gap matched the eye test. Carolina won races, got to loose pucks first, and kept forcing Montreal's defense into rushed decisions around its own zone.

The pressure around Martin St-Louis just spiked

Once the game went final at 4-0, the reaction around Martin St-Louis got even louder.

St-Louis was the victim of several various social media attacks, many we can't show due to profanity.

Social media turned ugly in a hurry, with heavy criticism aimed at the coach from fans and media voices alike.

No thanks. Don't want to hear about discipline and motivation. He will blame everyone else except himself and his peewee system.

no thank you....

Only way i'm listening Friday is if Both Xhekaj and Gallagher play.

If not,see ya next year
@CanadiensMTL

A big part of that heat came from the lineup. Arber Xhekaj, Brendan Gallagher, and Oliver Kapanen were left out again, even with calls growing for a shake-up after the previous game.

St-Louis stayed with his regular group, and the decision blew back hard. When a team gets run out at home in a game this important, every coaching call gets dragged into the spotlight.

Lane Hutson also kept drawing attention in a rough matchup.

Carolina's speed kept pushing play wide and then back into dangerous ice, and Montreal never looked settled on the blue line.

The bigger issue now is the series.

Carolina leads 3-1, which leaves the Canadiens one loss from the end of their season and puts even more weight on the next lineup card.

St-Louis now heads into the next game with real pressure on his shoulders. In Montreal, getting shut out is bad enough.

Getting shut out 4-0 after a first-period collapse and refusing to change the mix makes the noise impossible to ignore.