The Ottawa Senators are heading back to the capital with their backs against the wall, but they didn’t go quietly. In a Game 2 that had a bit of everything, including an overturned goal and a rare playoff overtime penalty shot, the Senators fell 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in double overtime.
Senators lose in heartbreaking fashion
After falling behind 2-0 early on goals from Logan Stankoven and Sebastian Aho, the Senators pushed back. Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens both scored late in the second period to tie things up, and from there, it felt like the game could go either way.
Things really ramped up in overtime. Carolina thought they had won it on a Mark Jankowski goal, but an offside challenge wiped it out. Then, in a wild sequence of events, Jordan Martinook was awarded a penalty shot after the goal was overturned. Linus Ullmark came up big, shutting the door and finishing with 43 saves to keep Ottawa in it.
WHAT A SEQUENCE IN RALEIGH AS WE HEAD TO A SECOND OVERTIME 🤯
— ESPN (@espn) April 21, 2026
The Hurricanes thought they had won in overtime, but the play was deemed offside. Jordan Martinook was awarded a penalty shot on the play, but failed to score. pic.twitter.com/sCL6ltUhQy
Eventually, the game came to a heartbreaking end for Ottawa. At 13:53 of the second overtime, Martinook got another look and didn’t miss this time, beating Ullmark through traffic to end it and give Carolina a 2-0 lead in the series.
It’s a tough one to take; no real way around that. But at the same time, the Senators showed they can hang with one of the top teams in the conference, even without Artem Zub in the lineup. Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson carried a heavy load again, though you could feel the absence of Zub as the game went on.
Now the series shifts back to the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday. They’re down, but it’s not out of reach yet. If they can bring that same push they had in the second period while playing in front of their home crows, there’s a good chance that this series can still be a long one.
Unfortunately, at this time, there is still no word on Zub and his status for Game 3. Ideally, he is in the lineup and helping on the defensive side of the puck. However, if not, then the blue line is going to need to step up just like they did in Game 2.
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