Round 1 Recap: Canes Sweep Senators

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes brought out the brooms in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, ousting the Ottawa Senators in the minimum amount of games.

From the jump, it was expected to be tight. And it was. But it wasn't the long series many pundits predicted.

"We executed really well," Sebastian Aho reviewed following yesterday's final horn. "We played really well without the puck. I thought we gave them no room. We were blocking shots, we were checking bodies, and you can go down the list."

Also on the list is not playing from behind.

The Senators never led for a second in the series, making the Canes the first team to never trail in a game in the first round series since the Red Wings vs. the Blue Jackets in 2009.

• Game 1: Frederik Andersen turned in a 22-save shutout, backstopping the Canes to a 2-0 victory.
• Game 2: Jordan Martinook played hero, scoring in double overtime to take a 2-0 series lead.
• Game 3: Logan Stankoven scored for a third straight game, and Frederik Andersen turned in another strong performance for a 2-1 victory.
• Game 4: A fiery finale culminated with the Canes on top, 4-2.

In many ways, Rod Brind'Amour's group did exactly what they needed to be successful. Let's take a look back at some of the biggest storylines.

So, So Stanky...

Atop the chart of positives for the Canes was the performance from Logan Stankoven.

Matching NHL history by scoring the game-opening goal in the first three games of the series, the 23-year-old center carried over his red-hot end to the regular season right into an MVP performance in his team's first-round series. Dating back to Mar. 31, the 2025 trade deadline acquisition now has points in 12 straight games, including 11 goals.

"Just exceptional. That line, and Stanks, really took control of the series for us, and found ways to bury them," Captain Jordan Staal said following the final win.

Rewarded for his relentless work ethic, Stankoven looks every bit the player who was once described as "built in a lab to be a Hurricane" by General Manager Eric Tulsky.

"He's a little pitbull," Sean Walker affectionately described. "He gets after pucks, chases it down, works his ass off, and then his skill takes over. I don't know if you want to say he's mature beyond his years, because he is young, and he loves the game. He works so hard. He's got a motor that never stops."

Not just a leader offensively, Stankoven's line of himself, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake also weren't on the ice for a single goal against in the series.

"He's been so good. He competes so hard and wants it so bad," Staal continued. "That's what everyone else in this room feeds off of. It's been fun to watch."

The Great Dane Did It Again...

Entering the series, it felt like a true coin flip of who would be between the pipes during Game 1. Brind'Amour said there was a likelihood we would see both Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi, as the team had operated for just about all of the 82-game regular season.

As we know now, it was Andersen for not just the first go-around, but all four contests.

A 22-save shutout last Saturday made a follow-up appearance "an easy decision" for the coaching staff. Allowing just two goals in nearly 100 minutes of hockey in Game 2 further solidified his position.

Two days off the ice gave the 36-year-old a chance to feel fresh and recovered for Game 3, where he turned away 21 of 22. And although there were just 40 hours between what would be the final two games of the series, Andersen gave the green light to turn in another steady performance in the close-out contest.

"Freddie was unreal. If there was ever those squirrely moments, he came through with big saves, ate pucks, slowed the game down," Staal said. "In all four of those games, he was great. You need that if you want to win games."

As the adage goes, you also need your goaltender to be your best penalty killer, and Andersen was just that, too. Carolina was shorthanded 21 times in the series, including nine times on Saturday, but the Senators were held to just one conversion, a tip-in that "Zilla" had little chance on.

"Unbelievable. It could have been a different series if he wasn't playing the way he was. He stood on his head every night and made incredible saves when we needed them," Walker reviewed. "He was the real difference in the series."

Penalties Killed...

As mentioned above, Carolina's penalty kill was also a key reason for their first-round success.

Throughout the past week or so, several Canes have referenced lessons they have learned from their seven previous playoff runs, and one of the harsh reminders that they need no reminding of is that special teams can make or break you this time of year.

Ottawa's power play had been consistently good all season long, hanging around inside the league's top 10 before finishing eighth. The group was cognizant that they'd be a handful in, again, what was expected to be, and was, a tight series with close hockey games.

And after what they'd consider a "down year", where the penalty kill did not finish in the top five among all NHL teams for the first time since the 2018-19 season - a ridiculous stat within itself - the killers had themselves a series to remember, giving just one goal.

"That was, I think, probably the biggest reason why we won the series," Aho pinpointed. "We killed so many penalties in crucial moments."

Make no mistake, the Canes also described Game 4 as something they'll have to take a few learning lessons from and understand they can't afford their foes nine power play opportunities in games moving forward, but at least for this series, they also earned a huge confidence boost while down a man.

"The PK was incredible," Taylor Hall preached, before adding a noteworthy nugget. "The playoffs are interesting with power plays and penalty kills. Once you get a handle on what a team is doing... there's always that chess match. Our PK is so experienced and (has) seen so many different things over the years that we have a ton of confidence in them."

Rumbled Them Into Ruins...

Perhaps there was no bigger moment in the series than the very first one.

Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk challenged Canes Captain Jordan Staal to drop the gloves right off the opening faceoff of Game 1. Understandably, the younger Tkachuk brother was attempting to set the tone for his team in the series.

It didn't work. "Jordo" answered the bell.

And from that, it felt like the Canes had a little extra wind behind their sails for the rest of that contest, and the following three games.

Another one of the aforementioned lessons learned from previous years is that there were series where the group felt they were pushed around a little bit. Evidenced through several examples all season long that there would be more pushback, this stretch of four games was the stamp on being bullied not happening this go-around.

During the first intermission interview with ESPN in Game 1, Staal now famously told the broadcast team, "[Tkachuk’s] a physical player who is ready to roll, and so am I. And so is this group. It’s part of the gig, and we’re not backing down from anyone. We’re ready to roll.”

Ready to roll, they were.

Even when the Senators, in do-or-die mode, took the temperatures to new heights during Game 4, the group never wavered. There were thunderous hits taken, but there were also plenty given, and the response was very clear.

“The battle level, the way we stuck together, that was unbelievable," Aho said. "There are a few things we also want to learn from, probably, but that’s the beauty of this thing. We get to play more hockey and use the experience…”