The Hurricanes limited the Senators in Game 1 of their first round series, coming away with a 2-0 win and a chance to hold serve at home in Monday’s Game 2.
Carolina is 8-3 under Brind’Amour in Game 2s at Lenovo Center, while the Senators haven’t won a Game 2 on the road since April 14, 2012, a run of five straight losses — all but one by one goal.
1. The Hurricanes had just a couple of odd-man rushes in Game 1, the most notable being when Nikolaj Ehlers made a drop pass to Jordan Staal, the trailer on the sequence, for a shot that Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark got enough of to steer wide.
The Senators, meanwhile, didn’t have much of anything in that regard. It illustrated how buttoned-up both teams were to start the series — and it will likely be that way throughout the round.
“We said that from the get-go,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of expecting how the games and series would be played. “It didn’t take one to figure that out. It played out (exactly) how we thought it would, and I’m sure they would say the same.”
Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook said Carolina’s mentality of making sure every shift counts helped them stack a game that allowed the Senators very few chances.
“The people that are looking for the end-to-end, rush-type series, this is probably not the one for you,” he said. “But it’s fighting for every inch and every puck battle and every inch of ice out there. And that’s what it’s all about this time of year.”
2. I spoke briefly to Alexander Nikishin on Monday morning, and he said playing the full season with the Hurricanes has made a huge difference in how prepared he is for this year’s playoffs.
“Experience,” he said.
Last year, he was thrust into Game 5 of the second round series against the Capitals as injuries mounted on Carolina’s blue line. That’s quite an introduction to the league — playing against Russian legend Alexander Ovechkin the first time you step on NHL ice — but Nikishin acquitted himself well.
Nikishin admitted to having some nerves in that game, but he said having a year with his teammates and a season of learning the NHL game has him more prepared for this year’s playoffs.
“It’s faster,” he said. “But it’s good.”
Nikishin was on the ice for both Carolina goals in Game 1, and if hockey awarded third assists, the Russian rookie would have two — he played a big role in both of the Hurricanes’ goals.
3. Frederik Andersen will be Carolina’s Game 2 starter, and why not after he posted a 22-save shutout in Game 1.
We’re a long way from early January, when Andersen had lost nine straight and Brandon Bussi had wrestled the No. 1 job from him. The question for Andersen is always durability, but the series sets up well for him. After Monday’s game, there are two days off before Game 3 in Ottawa, giving the 36-year-old an extra day to recover.
Andersen played on one day’s rest four times this season, going 2-2.
- 11, 4-3 overtime win over the Flyers, stopped 20 of 23
- March 2, 2-1 loss at Seattle, stopped 13 of 15
- March 24, 5-2 loss at Montreal, stopped 14 of 18
- April 11, 4-1 win at Utah, stopped 26 of 27
That tracks with Andersen’s overall numbers this season. His save percentage in those games was .880 vs. .874 for the year, though his goals-against average in those four games is closer to 2.50 than his 3.05 for the year. Two of the 10 goals he allowed were on an opponent’s power play.
4. Senators defenseman Artem Zub, who was injured while delivering a hit on Seth Jarvis late in the second period of Game 1, is a game-time decision for the Senators, and it appears Lassi Thomson will play in his place should Zub be unable to play.
It would be a considerable loss for Ottawa coach Travis Green, who has given Zub nearly 21 minutes of ice time per game this season alongside star defenseman Jake Sanderson.
At Monday’s morning skate, Sanderson was paired with Nikolas Matinpalo, who averaged 15:38 this season and played 17:08 in Game 1. The pairing of Jordan Spence and Thomas Chabot remained together, while Thomson was alongside Dennis Gilbert, who was limited to 8:26 on Saturday despite Zub missing all the third period.
One thing to watch: Tyler Kleven again skated with the team wearing a plastic jaw protector. He hasn’t played since he was struck in the jaw with a puck April 2, and he was ruled out for Monday’s game by Green. Kleven skated alongside 2024 seventh overall pick Carter Yakemchuk — who was just called up, along with a bunch of other players from Belleville — but they appeared to be the fourth pairing and skated with coaches after the rest of the team exited the ice after the morning skate.
Yakemchuk played four games with the Senators this year but has been very good in his first professional season in the AHL, totaling 10 goals and 40 points in 54 games — though he was minus 31. He’s someone to watch should Ottawa get desperate later in the series.
5. Nick Cousins wasted little time reminding everyone of his reputation in Game 1. While the Senators forward has never been suspended by the NHL, he has been fined five times and is widely considered one of the league’s dirtiest players.
He lived up to that reputation in Game 1, slew-footing Carolina defenseman Sean Walker near the end of the first period — and William Carrier appeared to let Cousins know that wouldn’t fly — before taking an interference penalty in the third period for forcefully lifting his stick up into the groin of Nikishin.
Nikishin, by the way, told me he’s fine.
