The playoff atmosphere in Raleigh was electric right from puck drop, largely due to Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal dropping the gloves right off the opening faceoff. But for the Ottawa Senators, Game 1 ended in a frustrating defensive battle. Despite a strong effort and a big performance in the crease, the Senators lost the series opener 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center.
Senators shut out 1-0 in Game 1
This game was a bit of a goaltending clinic. Linus Ullmark showed exactly why he’s the backbone of this team. He turned aside grade-A chances from Sebastian Aho and Nikolaj Ehlers, keeping a relentless Hurricanes forecheck at bay. On the other end, Ottawa gave Frederik Andersen all they could, but he continued to shut the door. At times, it looked like they were finally going to break through and he would come up big and preserve his shutout.
The deadlock finally broke when Logan Stankoven found the back of the net on a bit of a changeup shot 2:11 into the second period. The Hurricanes were able to hold onto the 1-0 lead until Taylor Hall extended it at 7:15 into the second period. The Senators pulled their goalie with just under three minutes remaining in the third and had some great looks. Unfortunately, they couldn’t solve Andersen and dropped Game 1.
Statistically, losing Game 1 is never a good sign. That said, this series between the Senators and Hurricanes is expected to be one of the closer ones. Some insiders around the league are predicting five of the seven games to be one-goal games.
Key Takeaways for the Senators:
While a loss is never ideal, there are still a few things to build upon.
Defence held up: Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson played big minutes and looked to hold things together for the Senators throughout the game. Especially after losing Artem Zub in the second period after he threw a big hit on Seth Jarvis.
Penalty Kill: Ottawa’s penalty kill was perfect on the afternoon, shutting down five power plays, including two five-on-three power plays, and keeping the game within reach.
Looking Ahead to Game 2
The Senators don’t have much time to sit on this one. They’ll stay in Raleigh for Game 2 on Monday night. The focus for Travis Green and his staff will likely come down to generating more high-danger chances and finding a way to solve the Hurricanes’ Andersen. If they can split these road games and head back to the Canadian Tire Centre tied 1-1, they’re in a pretty good spot. Which makes Game 2 of this series very close to a must-win for the Senators.
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