There were punches thrown and blood flowing, but at the end of the day, the line of handshakes unfolded like it was the most gentlemanly match of the afternoon – as it always is, as it always should be.
As for the Carolina Hurricanes, they greeted the handshake line with smiles as they were about to come out on top with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. It was only the second time in franchise history that the Hurricanes swept a team in a four-game series, and the first time that they did not hold a lead in any of the games played.
As the game began, the Hurricanes were without one of their best playmakers in Nikolaj Ehlers, who was ruled out with a lower body injury shortly before the game began. With an open spot in the lineup, the Hurricanes chose to employ their grinder and bruiser, Nicolas Deslauriers. Due to his fourth-line placement and frequent use of special teams, he logged only six shifts in 3:09 – but the time he played was very noticeable. He was second in most hits throughout the game with a total of four hits, and managed to block one shot and have one shot on goal in his short time on the ice.
Tyler Kleven's hit on Alexander Nikishin led to a heated argument throughout the game.
As the game remained scoreless early in the second period, Tyler Kleven laid down a big hit on Alexander Nikishin – a hit that served as the first domino of a long line of heated exchanges throughout the game, but sadly ended Nikishin's own match.
The Hurricanes on the ice immediately stood up for their teammate, and by the time the puck was dropped again, the Hurricanes were shorthanded. Cleven's hit was reviewed, but he was not awarded a penalty.
Carolina accumulated a total of 22 penalty minutes throughout the game, giving the Senators nine power plays, including three five-on-three opportunities.
Hurricanes' secondary scorers, defense come up big again
A little over 15 minutes into the second period, the first goal of the game came from Public Enemy Number One in Ottawa, Ontario, when Taylor Hall found the back of the net. Throughout the game, he was booed from the crowd whenever he touched the puck due to his controversial hit on Jake Sanderson in Game 3, which put the Senators' top-pairing defenseman in concussion protocol, essentially ending his postseason.
Hall has accounted for each of the Hurricanes' game-opening goals so far in the postseason.
A few minutes later, Drake Batherson evened the score on the power play.
At 9:10 of the third period, the Hurricanes once again got help from Logan Stankoven, who put the puck in the back of the net on the power play to give Carolina the lead. In doing so, he became the first player in franchise history to start the postseason with a four-game goal streak.
The lead held for the rest of the game, with Sebastian Aho scoring his first empty-netter goal of the game (yes, his first), followed soon after by Dylan Cozens scoring a claw-back goal to bring the game within a goal again, Aho then scored his second empty-netter goal and a 4–2 win.
The defense and penalty killer were excellent throughout the series, and really shined in the Hurricanes' two games north of the border. In this aspect Saturday was an even bigger story than Thursday, and Jacob Slavin was representing it with great effort. Of the full 13:21 time on the penalty kill, Slavin played an astonishing 10:14. Overall, he played 26:22 and led all Hurricanes skaters in ice time.
storm game notes
The Hurricanes are the first team in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to punch their ticket to the second round.
In all four games, the Hurricanes never trailed the Senators. They were the first team to do so in a first-round series since the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.
Despite ranking first for most penalties taken (26) so far in the postseason, the Hurricanes allowed only one power play goal in their entire series against the Senators. With a penalty kill percentage of 95.2, only the Boston Bruins have a better penalty kill (100%) due to penalty volume (also 26).
With the conclusion of Carolina's first-round series, FanDuel Sports Network will no longer be the broadcast home of the Hurricanes, as they will officially cease operations after all first-round games are completed.
