After a hard-fought 2-0 loss in the series opener, the Ottawa Senators are in a spot where Game 2 isn’t just another game; it kind of feels like the turning point of the series. History isn’t exactly kind to teams that fall behind 2-0, and for Ottawa, Monday night at the Lenovo Center feels like it could be as close to a must-win as it gets.
Game 2 for Senators is a must-win
The numbers don’t really leave much room for optimism if you fall behind early. Historically, NHL teams that go up 2-0 in a best-of-seven series end up winning it more than 86% of the time. For Ottawa, it’s even tougher. They’ve never come back to win a series after trailing 2-0.
Now, that said, this group does feel a bit different, especially with how they’ve played since the Olympic break. There has to be some pushback from Ottawa. They can’t afford to let the Hurricanes head back to the Canadian Tire Centre fully in control of this series.
Game 1 kind of showed exactly what Carolina is. Structured, patient, and pretty hard to break down. Frederik Andersen was very dominated, but it wasn’t just him. Ottawa had a tough time getting to the middle of the ice and creating anything dangerous.
If they’re going to even this series, it probably starts with how they handle Carolina’s transition game. If the Senators can use their speed early and force a few mistakes, maybe they can tilt things a bit more in their favour.
A win on Monday changes the entire feel of this series. Suddenly it’s a best-of-five, and you’re heading home feeling pretty good about it. But if they fall into a 0-2 hole, that’s where it starts to feel like things are caving in.
The Senators have the ability to even the series up. They’ve shown that all season. Their main focus should be to get inside on the Hurricanes’ defense and take away Andersen's vision. If they can make life tough on Carolina’s blue line and goalie, they greatly increase their chances of evening the series, as they head back home for Game 3.
Add us as a preferred source on Google