Swept You Like A Hurricane

It was pretty clear from Game One last Saturday that these Carolina Hurricanes were not going to be denied. They may still lose in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the Ottawa Senators were not going to be the team to end the Hurricanes' dream of a Stanley Cup parade this season. Despite the heroics shown by goaltender Linus Ullmark, the depth of the Hurricanes showed in each game as they got contributions up and down the lineup that the Senators simply could not match. Mix in an ineffective power-play, invisible top-line players, and Hurricanes team that kept coming at the Senators in waves, and the four-game playoff appearance was all that was weakly written by the Ottawa Senators this season.

The Hurricanes started this series by shutting out the Senators, and that should have been seen as an omen for what was to come because the Hurricanes never trailed at any point in this series. Had the Senators won the double-overtime contest in Game Two, we might be talking about a different series with some doubt creeping into the Hurricanes' minds, but that never happened thanks to Jordan Martinook. Carolina led for 121:22 of the 213:53 of total time played in this series, and that's the telling statistic of this series.

Having the Senators score once on their 21 power-play opportunities should mean that the coaching staff will need to answer a lot of questions when it came to preparation and execution. That one goal was scored today by Drake Batherson, and it has been proven time and again that teams that win the special teams battles often win the games. In today's game alone, the Senators had three 5-on-3 opportunities and scored on none of them which, again, magnifies the importance of special teams. Ottawa now knows that well.

Make no mistake that the Hurricanes had to earn this series sweep, though. The line of Logan Stankovan, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake ran roughshod over the Senators in these four games, combining for seven goals and 16 points. The renaissance of Frederik Andersen was illustrated on a number of occasions where he made big saves, leading to his 1.10 GAA and .955 save percentage. When you consider that Shayne Gostisbehere, Andrei Svechnikov, and Nikolaj Ehlers combined for one assist in four games, Carolina's depth should make them a favorite to emerge from the Eastern Conference.

"Can't understate that," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Frederik Andersen's goaltending after the game. "Especially when you want to consider how well the other guy was playing there in their end, it was a goalie matchup. They were going save for save, and we needed it. Otherwise, this thing could have gone a lot different. It's probably the best hockey he's played for us."

Brind'Amour is not wrong. Andersen has never won more than eight games in a playoff year, and he's halfway there now. In a season where he lost the starter's role to Brandon Bussi thanks to a 16-14-5 record, a 3.05 GAA, and an .874 save percentage, he has been extraordinarily good in the Carolina crease thus far. He outduelled a remarkable Linus Ullmark who ends his playoffs with a 2.03 GAA and a .932 save percentage - numbers better than Jesper Wallstedt, Jake Oettinger, and Karel Vejmelka who are .500-or-better in these playoffs. Clearly, Andersen was a big part of the Hurricanes' victory.

Carolina will now let the bumps and bruises heal as best they can while they wait for the winner of the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia series. Ottawa, meanwhile, will clean out their lockers, meet with the media, and start preparing for next season. There weren't many people who believed that the Senators would win the series, but I don't think anyone expected them to be out seven days after the playoffs started. That's where questions will need to be asked.

Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Dylan Cozens are under contract until 2028 for $23.65 million. They had two goals (Cozens) and an assist (Stutzle). Shane Pinto had no points and his salary jumps to $7.5 million next season. Drake Batherson is a free agent at the end of next season and will need a hefty raise if he's to stay in Ottawa. Jordan Spence, Dennis Gilbert, and Nick Jensen are all free agents this year with Tyler Kleven and Artyom Zub being free agents in the summer of 2027. Ottawa will have some tough decisions to make if they felt this group was good enough to push for a Stanley Cup.

Four losses without holding a lead against a team that seems like a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup means they weren't good enough. Not even close. The hard part begins now for the Senators as decisions will be made when it comes to evaluating this group so that, next year, the Senators aren't rocked by the Hurricanes.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!