Recap: Andersen Phenomenal As Canes Take Shootout Win In Ottawa

OTTAWA, ON. -For the first time this season the Carolina Hurricanes needed a shootout, successfully capitalizing in it to take a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators Thursday.

The Rundown
For the fourth consecutive game the Canes got off to a noticeably strong start, limiting Ottawa to just seven first period shots. In a contest that included no fans in attendance due to Canada's current COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols, the team brought their own energy, forcing Senators netminder Matt Murray to come up with some timely stops in the opening 20 minutes.
The contest progressed into the second frame scoreless, but it took just 2:31 for Carolina to change that. A Brady Skjei shot from the point was redirected by Derek Stepan, who snuck behind a puck-watching Thomas Chabot for his sixth of the season.
Then, unfortunately for the Canes, Ottawa kicked it into high gear and took over the contest. They evened the score at 1-1 exactly two minutes later after a shot from Nick Paul changed directions off of Tony DeAngelo and went past Frederik Andersen. It was part of an onslaught that transpired over the game's next 35 minutes of play, almost all trending in Ottawa's favor.
Early in the third the home side made it 2-1, taking their first lead of the night after a tipped shot of their own then found its way past Carolina's All-Star netminder.
Giving them their first lead of the night, and as a part of what would be a 32-14 shots advantage for Ottawa after the opening period of play, it felt as if they were in control of a tight contest. Andersen was contributing timely stop after timely stop, but his team in front of him was simply not creating as much as he was being tasked with.
Then, with just 3:22 left, the Canes found a way to even the contest, coming courtesy of Nino Niederreiter. The line of Niederreiter, Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast was Carolina's most notable in the final frame of regulation and after a loose puck got behind Murray in Ottawa's crease, #21 stuffed it home, eventually sending the game to overtime.

In the three-on-three Senators captain Brady Tkachuk had the best opportunity, cutting in all alone on Andersen, but the evening's first star made a terrific pad stop to keep the game going.
Then, for the first time since April of 2021, Carolina needed to participate in a shootout. After Tyler Ennis and Vincent Trocheck were both denied, Andrei Svechnikov cashed, giving his team the only advantage they'd need. Andersen was able to keep out the efforts of both Tim Stutzle and Tkachuk again, giving the Canes a 3-2 victory.

They Said It:
Rod Brind'Amour on the play of his All-Star netminder tonight...
"You're going to need that over the course of the season, right? Your team plays against a team that's on it, and you have to give Ottawa] credit, they were good tonight, and [Freddie] allowed us to hang in there. They got two fluky goals, really, and nothing got by him tonight in my opinion."
**Frederik Andersen** reflecting on how he felt about the evening...
"I think both teams had good periods of the game. It's nice to come out ahead and tie it up late, that was a huge goal by Nino. Even though they scored early in the third, we pushed them really well and tried the whole period to tie it up and force overtime.
**Andrei Svechnikov** sharing how he felt when he was tapped to go in the shootout...
"I was very calm. I was calm and confident. When you feel shaky, you're probably not going to score. I knew what I was doing. At first I thought I was going to go five-hole, but once [Vincent Trocheck] tried to go five-hole and I saw him sitting very low, I tried to go low blocker and it was a good try."
**Derek Stepan** assessing the game as a whole, including how he felt about Ottawa taking over after the first period...
"As we go on through this year you're going to see more teams really defend extremely hard. You've got to be able to play that game and to be comfortable playing defense. The difference maker in my opinion was Freddie and he's been big for us all year."
**What's Next?:**
The Canes come back to the United States post-game and are scheduled to practice Friday before a back-to-back weekend set at PNC Arena against New Jersey and San Jose, Saturday and Sunday.
**Bonus Notes:**
**Worth A Click:**
[Excerpt From "The Whalers" by Pat Pickens