After several months of missing the playoffs, the Senators were swept by the Hurricanes, ending their playoff run after just one week. This is their first since 2008, although back then it was an aging team that was slowly collapsing and were soundly defeated by the Penguins. This time, the Sens showed great courage, but inevitably lost to a superior team. Let’s get into the details to find out what exactly went wrong.

Read more: Shane Pinto’s Selke case

credit to the storm

Yes, I will point out the shortcomings of the senators. It goes without saying what a great game the Hurricanes played. I mentioned it again before and during the series: they are a well-oiled machine. His defensive play was impeccable, allowing only five goals in four games. They make it just as difficult to make shots as they do to break the puck out of the defensive zone. Their depth was excellent, with Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall leading the way offensively. Hall also helped the Canes by hitting Sanderson hard, knocking him out of the series (he only got a two-minute penalty for it, not that I’m still bitter).

The question mark for the Hurricanes heading into the playoffs was their goaltending. Frederick Anderson, with a little help from his post, was great. He stopped 105 out of 110 shots he faced. The best part of the Hurricane series? His penalty kill. His offensive strategy was largely successful, frustrating the Senators’ skill players throughout the series, as the Canes killed 20 of the 21 Senators’ power plays.

Another guy I’d like to mention: Jalen Chatfield. In the series preview, I brought up 16 storms. Chatfield was not one of them. In my eyes, he may be the most underrated player in the NHL. He is rarely discussed, yet in each game he gives the Canes 20-plus minutes of effort, energy and intelligent hockey. He averaged over 23 minutes per game in the series, including 4:38 shorthanded per game. One last thing – Jakob Slavin is a monster defensively. Now, onto the sensors.

Senators’ strengths: Ullmark and defensive play

Let’s start with the good stuff. Linus Ullmark was fantastic, stopping 124 of 133 shots. He finished the series with a .933 SV%. His save percentages in four games were as follows:

He made many spectacular saves during the series. Given how well Ullmark played, a sweep actually seems impossible. For a guy who endured a tough season that included some time off due to personal reasons, at least Ullmark is finishing his year playing his best hockey as a Senator.

As far as the defensive side of the ice was concerned, the Senators stood strong. They conceded only 11 goals in approximately 14 periods, two of which were empty netters. Their penalty kill surrendered two goals in 15 Hurricanes power plays for an 86.7% success rate. They did all this without Zub for most of the series, without Sanderson for a game and a half, and without Kleven for the first two games. Let’s not forget that Nick Jensen, a regular for most of the season, was out for the playoffs as well.

Playing 10 defensemen in a four-game series is a recipe for disaster, but the Sens played hard on their side of the ice. The key to their success is how much the forwards care about the defensive side of the game. For the Hurricanes, it was probably like playing a version of themselves. Of course a shorter version, but at least the censorship showed a willingness to defend to the end.

senators are waiting for trouble

The Senators finished the regular season in eighth place, averaging 3.35 goals per game. He scored five goals in less than 14 periods of hockey in this series. Here’s how bad things went from an offensive standpoint compared to the season before:

• Season: 11.6 shooting %, 24% power play
• playoffs: 4.5 Shooting %, 4.8% Power Play

The Senators’ total scores in the four games were: 22, 39, 21, 27.

Keep in mind, the 39 shot game went into double overtime. So there were two issues in the game – the Senators weren’t making enough shots, and on the shots they did make, their finishing was extremely poor. There are plenty of examples of this – Batherson and Tkachuk should both have had the game tied at one each. Stützle was supposed to open the scoring in the second game. Both he and Amadio should have won the second game in overtime. Tkachuk should have tied the third game. The list goes on and on.

In the end, only two Senators scored in the series—Batherson had three and Cozens two. Considering their poor performance in last year’s first round, at least they were able to add some offense this year, in a year where no one was able to do so.

Struggle of Stützle and Tkachuk

Here were the final drafts for the Senators’ two-star forward:

• Stützle: 4 games, 0 goals, 1 point, -4, 25:31 time on ice/game
• tkachuk: 4 games, 0 goals, 0 points, -4, 21:31 time on ice/game

I would say you can’t win if your star players don’t perform, but Jarvis, Svechnikov and Ehlers were held goalless as the Hurricanes secured the win. I think it would be more meaningful to say this: You can’t win without the performance of your star players, unless the depth players step up in a big way.

Stankoven and Hall carried the bulk of the offense for the Hurricanes. Martinook was ahead in the second game and Blake was ahead in the third game. The whole team was fantastic defensively. For the senators, apart from Batherson, no one stood up aggressively. As the highest-paid forwards and the two men on the ice for all key offensive situations, the blame falls primarily on Tkachuk and Stützle.

Both had some great chances, but getting close proved futile. They were both equally bad in the Senators’ miserable power game, and they were both weak on the defensive side of the ice. Here’s my unsolicited advice for both guys. As for Tkachuk, he needs to play with a combination of passion and anger. He is too demonstrative sometimes. He is also very passive sometimes. A player with his skill should never play a quiet game. The way he played in game four, he is the Tkachuk this team needs moving forward.

As far as Stuetzle goes, I truly believe the Senators need to find a highly skilled linemate to bring out the best version of him. He sometimes tries to do it all himself, and is clearly frustrated when it doesn’t work. From a stylistic standpoint, he wants to play like McDavid and MacKinnon. For this, he needs to become stronger, making it difficult for him to get past the puck.

final thoughts

When a team is drained, there is no longer a “what could have been” feeling about things. It’s clear the Senators need to be a better hockey team. This will be a big offseason for Steve Staios and company. Pretty well the entire core is signed until at least next year. They will have cap space and a great chance to progress to true contender status with a strong offseason.

I’ll end with this – as much as it hurts to move good players out, the Staos tried to put together the same group this season and in the end, the Senators are in the same spot they were a year ago. Don’t forget that the Florida Panthers traded away Jonathan Huberdeau, who was a 115-point scorer at the time and one of their franchise’s all-time greats, in order to take their team to the next level. This resulted in two Stanley Cups. Steve Staios, it’s time to think big.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

Massimo Taibbi had a brief tenure Manchester United Between 1999 and 2000. The Italian never really made an impact, but still regrets his departure.

Taibi joins Red Devils from Venezia £4.5 million, which was a significant amount at that time. Soon after his arrival he put in a famous performance against Liverpool but things were disappointing in other games.

He was nicknamed ‘The Blind Venetian’ after the English press criticized his inability to save shots. Only six months after moving to Manchester United, he joined Reggina on loan before performing very well at Atalanta.

Now, the former goalkeeper has opened up about his time at Old Trafford.

good relations with ferguson

in an interview with gazzetta dello sportTaibi revealed how the move was taken.

He also revealed his good relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson, despite his occasional hair dryer treatment.

“It was a spectacle. It was 1999, I arrived in Manchester as a semi-unknown. They wanted to sign Toldo first, then when I was playing for Venezia they bought me. And Sir Alex even came to pick me up at the airport and introduced me to the whole management.

“It was 8 o’clock at night, no idea about it. We had a good relationship, although at half-time of that 5-0 Chelsea-Manchester United game he gave me a dirty look which I still remember.”

Giving more details about the 5–0 defeat to Chelsea, Taibi said that Ferguson was angry at half-time.

“I made a mistake and conceded a goal. At halftime, he turned the locker room upside down. When he got angry, he shook the walls. He took it out on everyone, even me. He looked at me badly and said, ‘Massimo, that’s a save…’ But he would keep me in check.”

The former goalkeeper clarified that he should not have left the club permanently. He had to attend to a family emergency but signed a four-year deal with Manchester United.

“I was the one who made the mistake of leaving. I had a family problem in Italy and I was in a hurry to resolve it.”

Describing his exit as his biggest regret, he said: “Yes, I had a four-year contract. I was the best player on the pitch at Liverpool, then I made the mistake I was telling you about.

“Ferguson advised me to learn the language and play my cards right. I was wrong to be impulsive.”

Our opinion: Departure decision changed Taibi’s career

At that time, Manchester United was slowly moving towards a change in the goalkeeping department. Taibi’s decision to leave was his own and it was not that he was forced out.

Had he managed to weather the storm, he could have become the club’s first-choice in the long term. Admittedly, his life in England had a difficult start, but as he himself says – there was a lot of promise there.

Manchester United have been warned they are targeting the wrong player in Ajax’s Mika Godts, especially after being compared to Desire Dou.

Dutch analyst René van der Gijp, through the football zoneNot impressed with the 20 year old. He has been linked to Manchester United this month.

contact manchester united

A report on the 17th^Of March said that Manchester United have taken the first steps towards signing Godts this summer.

According to journalist Sacha TavolieriManchester United have made contact with Ajax over the forward ahead of a possible move this summer.

Mika Godts is expected to be one of the breakout names of the summer transfer window, with several top sides monitoring his development.

Godts has enjoyed a breakout season at Ajax, registering 14 goals and 11 assists in 36 games so far this season. In the Eredivisie, he is contributing an average of one goal every 90 minutes.

Analysts not impressed

But no such contribution came in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Feyenoord. A performance that particularly struck Van der Gijp.

“Maybe a misconception, of course, but on Sunday I was seeing that Gods. Paris Saint-Germain’s Douay is 84 times better,” he said.

“He’s actually 84 times better than Godts. And then you read that Godts can go to Manchester United and Chelsea. The video you see there of Douay… that’s not normal.”

The same sentiment was echoed by writer Michael Van Egmond, who says it’s even worse considering what Gods was up against.

“He played against Feyenoord’s fourth right-back,” he said.

“Actually they would have rather played with ten men than Lotomba, and still had gods in their pockets. That’s not good.”

Will Manchester United listen?

The question is whether Manchester United will listen. Mika Godts fits perfectly into the recruitment strategy within INEOS. They have specifically targeted youth profiles with high ceilings.

Godes ticks those boxes and has the numbers to support the big spend. The same is true despite a disappointing performance against Feyenoord. For now, it appears they have only taken initial steps.

However, if it were down to Van der Gijp, that would be as far as they would go this summer.

🇮🇹 Pierre Kalulu | Manchester United and Liverpool send scouts for new France international

➡️ Versatile defender – Italian media are really pushing for a transfer opportunity, so Juventus is possibly up for salehttps://t.co/lfQQEbBvE5 #free #lfc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 26 March 2026

Nottingham Forest’s January signing of Luca Netz is already emerging as one of the quieter misfires of the window, The situation is now attracting renewed attention in Germany.

Nottingham Forest bet on Luka Netz in January

German outlet Gladbach Live Report the former Borussia Monchengladbach defender’s move to Nottingham Forest ‘has not come to fruition so far’.

The 22-year-old was signed for €2.5m on a contract running until 2030, which was seen as a long-term investment with significant returns.

Gladbach also secured a sell clause, expecting future returns if its value increased.

This step was also celebratedNetz fulfilled his childhood dream after turning down Manchester City at the age of just 15.

Limited minutes and the new manager’s priorities

Instead, his immediate future at the club already looks uncertain.

Netz has featured only twice, both brief appearances, as Nottingham Forest struggle to avoid relegation.

New coach Vitor Pereira has so far shown little interest in using his experience, instead relying on it in the fight for survival.

For a player who moved to England to accelerate his development, it has been a tough start. Gladbach live move on, calling Nottingham Forest move a ‘complete disaster’.

summer uncertainty

Now the attention is turning towards summer. If Nottingham Forest loses in the Championship, the team is being restructured.

Netz, with minimal minutes and a long contract, would become an obvious candidate for a quick exit.

Even if he remains at Nottingham Forest, GladbachLive believe a summer move is already being discussed if his situation does not change.

gladbach taking a closer look

Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany are monitoring the situation closely. His sell-on clause means that any future sale, even a reduced one, sends the money back to the foals.

Netz is currently valued at €6m by TransfermarktHowever any final fee may be quite low due to his lack of playing time. Either way, the German side may again have the advantage.

At this point, Nottingham Forest’s gamble has not paid off. They’ve got a deal in place for a young full-back with long-term potential, but so far, he’s been exploring on the sidelines.

Unless something changes rapidly, Netz’s Premier League adventure could be over before it really begins, with Gladbach potentially benefiting from the next chapter.

🇬🇳 Amara Keita | Nottingham Forest swoop for African wonderkid after Chelsea decision ➡️ Source explains the situationhttps://t.co/pqpDB9l51o #nffc #cfc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 18 March 2026

The Indiana Pacers may have just etched their name in the franchise record books, but it’s certainly not a reason anyone in Indianapolis wants to celebrate. On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks handed the Pacers a 136–110 loss, Indiana’s 14th consecutive loss. This disappointing stretch officially sets a new franchise record for the longest losing streak in Pacers history, surpassing the mark held since the late 1980s.

It has been a tough journey for head coach Rick Carlisle and his team, who remain the only team in the NBA without a win since the All-Star break. The absence of superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles, has left a huge void that the roster can’t easily fill. Without their primary playmaker, the Pacers’ offense looked disjointed and tired, a trend that continued against a surging Knicks team.

Even with the Knicks missing star point guard Jalen Brunson due to an ankle injury, the home team’s depth was too much to handle. Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the interior, while Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby provided consistent pressure on the wings. New York jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking advantage of an Indiana defense that has struggled to make stops during this historic slide.

Jarace Walker tried to keep things competitive for the Pacers, but the lack of veteran support, coupled with Pascal Siakam’s knee problem, made it an uphill battle from the starting point. As the final buzzer sounded in New York, the reality of the 15-54 record began to set in. While the team is clearly in evaluation mode, falling into such a historic rut is a tough pill to swallow for fans. Indiana will head home the next day, looking for any way to stop the bleeding before this record grows even longer.

At one point, the New York Knicks’ game against the Utah Jazz was not looking good, as they found themselves in a big loss that almost kept superfan Ben Stiller from watching, before Jalen Brunson’s heroics saved the team.

At the beginning of the game, Stiller took to Twitter to discuss his discomfort in watching the Knicks lose early against the Jazz, writing, “Couldn’t watch for 10 minutes – feels like we finally remembered we’re the NY Knicks.”

Ultimately, New York came out on top, and a lot of that can be attributed to Brunson’s performance. Thanks to Brunson’s performance, they won by 17 points, which initially seemed impossible. He scored 28 points and had four rebounds and eight assists.

Stiller didn’t let his heroics go unnoticed, giving the point guard a shout-out, writing, “Brunson really stepped up [in the] Second half],” after the game.

Jalen Brunson leads Knicks comeback against Jazz

After the first quarter of the Knicks’ game against the Jazz on March 11, New York was down by 15 points, and lost 41 points. Even at the half, they were down 65–56.

Fortunately, they turned things around in the second half, outscoring the Jazz 40–29 in the third and 38–23 in the fourth. It was a much-needed win on the road for the Knicks, who are just 19-16 on the road this year.

Brunson made the biggest splash, but he wasn’t the only impact player. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points and was extremely efficient, making eight of his 13 shots. OG Anunoby also scored 22 points while making 70% of his shots from the floor and all five of his free throws.

Jordan Clarkson also scored 27 points off the bench. In 26 minutes, Clarkson made 10 of his 15 shots with four free throws. Clarkson is averaging only 8.9 points per game this year, so this was a phenomenal performance for the guard.

To say that the Philadelphia 76ers’ NBC “Throwback Night” showdown against the San Antonio Spurs did not go as planned would be an understatement.

Taking the court to Joel Embiid, Paul George and eventually VJ Edgecombe, who exited at halftime after a hard fall from fellow rookie Carter Bryant, the 76ers trailed the Spurs by 38 seconds in the game and never recovered, losing 78–53 at halftime and finishing with a certified blowout 131–91.

What happened? How did the 76ers, even with a depleted personnel, allow a game against a potential NBA Finals opponent to get so far away from them? Well, Nick Nurse tried to break it up, even if he didn’t realize it.

“I thought we were doing a good job of finding shots. I thought it was taking some time, and I kept saying that in the timeouts. The open shots aren’t coming as fast as they did last night, but they’re still there, you just have to be a little more patient and keep kicking out,” Nurse explained.

“And I thought, for the most part, I mean, obviously, he blocked some guys inside from our bigs. But I thought, other than that, we were doing a good job out there for a while. And then we just couldn’t; they made a lot of turnovers. Really, defensively the second quarter was really bad. Obviously, they were really rolling, hitting a lot of threes, getting to the rim. There was no resistance defensively.”

On offense, the 76ers were borderline destructive, with Tyrese Maxey outscoring the rest of Philadelphia’s starters 21–10, while only two other players, Jabari Walker and Cam Payne, managed to reach double figures. Sure, Embiid, PG13, and, for half of the game, Edgecombe, weren’t available, but when rotation players like Quentin Grimes, Dominic Barlow, Trendon Watford, Adem Bona, and Justin Edwards combined for just 26 points, the 76ers aren’t going to win many, if any, games, even if they lock in and play elite defense.

Nick Nurse discusses the impact of Victor Wembanyama and what went wrong in Tuesday night’s defeat to Spurs. | @kia pic.twitter.com/6G1OqhprvL

– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) 4 March 2026

Nick Nurse explains why the Philadelphia 76ers faltered in their disappointing loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.

Nurse is in the eighth year of his head coaching career, his third year with the 76ers. He has kept the franchise stable while developing a young and emerging backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, keeping them in the playoff picture this season. However, the team performs poorly in some of its contests, most notably its latest loss to the Pelicans.

Nurse reflected on the loss after the game, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. He pointed to the shooting struggles from beyond the arc, noting how New Orleans took advantage of Philadelphia’s woes.

“We went 3-of-24 from three; Was quite difficult, wasn’t it?” The nurse said.

The Sixers faltered offensively and defensively in the matchup with the Pelicans, where Nick Nurse broke down. | @kia pic.twitter.com/4fw89F9u27

– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) 22 February 2026

Nick Nurse, how the 76ers performed against the Pelicans

Nick Nurse and the 76ers have the talent to make a splash in the playoffs. However, their loss to the Pelicans shows they still have work to do to reach the next stage.

Four players, including Maxey, scored in double figures for Philadelphia in the loss. He finished with a stat line of 27 points, seven assists, five steals and three rebounds. He shot 9 of 23 from the field, including 2 of 11 from beyond the arc and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Kelly Oubre Jr. was next with 25 points and five rebounds, VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and five rebounds, while Quentin Grimes added 11 points and three assists.

Philadelphia improved to a 30–26 record on the season and finished sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, while trailing the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

After four consecutive losses, the 76ers will look to get back into the win column in their next match. They remain on the road when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 22nd at 7pm ET.