RALEIGH — Jordan Martinook is the emotional leader of the Carolina Hurricanes, and in Monday’s Game 2 against the visiting Senators, he proved he can handle the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
Martinook’s goal at 13:53 of the second overtime gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 win Monday and a 2-0 series lead.
“You couldn’t have written it any better,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “What a shot. The place was electric, so it was super fun. Definitely in the memory bank.”
The path to Carolina’s second win in the series was anything but linear.
After the NHL’s Situation Room nullified Carolina center Mark Jankowski’s winning goal in the first overtime on a delayed penalty, Martinook was awarded a penalty shot from the same infraction that presented a second chance to win the game.
He did — just 17 minutes later.
After Martinook was stopped by Linus Ullmark (43 saves) on the shootout attempt with 3:11 left in the first overtime, he and the Hurricanes regrouped.
With just over six minutes left in the second overtime, Martinook collected a loose puck at the left sideboards, passed to defenseman K’Andre Miller and circled to the slot. Miller handed off the puck to Nikolaj Ehlers, who passed to Martinook.
His shot whizzed past a screen by Staal and Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot and behind Ullmark at 13:53 of double overtime to give the Hurricanes a roller coaster 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead.
“I didn’t feel very good about myself after that penalty shot,” Martinook said. “The intermission felt really long. That was cool though. I’m happy it worked out that way. It didn’t matter who scored, but it was going to be a long night if that penalty shot came back to bite me.”
Instead, Carolina delivered a blow to the Senators, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the second period and were inches from winning the game in the second overtime when Frederik Andersen (37 saves) got just enough of a piece of Michael Amadio’s 1-on-1 chance to deflect the puck off the post.
“Every moment matters, and any situation it’s right then and there,” Andersen said. “You just prepare like you would any other shot. And every time you make a save, you give the boys a new chance to score.”
On Monday — nearly Tuesday as the game stretched to more than four hours — the chance ended up on Martinook’s stick.
“I’d be lying if I said I picked my head up and looked and picked the corner,” Martinook said. “At that point, you’re just trying to put as many pucks on net as you can. I felt we kind of had them on the run a little bit, and (Ehlers) made a great play in the middle, and I just got it and ripped it. Luckily it went in.”
The Hurricanes appeared to end the game with 3:11 left in overtime. After Staal set up Martinook for a chance, Ottawa’s Warren Foegele was called for hooking. Carolina brought on Sebastian Aho as the sixth attacker on the delayed penalty sequence.
Staal then went off the ice for a line change, with Jankowski replacing him. Jankowski got the puck and passed to Seth Jarvis in the right circle. Jarvis’ shot hit Ullmark’s right pad and kicked directly to Jankowski, who banged it in the net.
But the zone entry with Staal and Martinook was reviewed, and the NHL Situation ruled Staal did not have possession of the puck upon entering the zone, nullifying the goal.
“I don’t know that rule,” Staal said. “I pick up the puck, I look up where (Martinook) is and apparently I lost control of it. And then I make a nice pass to (Martinook) for a breakaway.
“I don’t really get it. To call back an overtime goal for that is …”
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour could be seen rallying his team on the bench before the officials announced that the goal had been overturned.
“I wasn’t surprised, I can tell you that,” Brind’Amour said with a grimace.
Martinook added, “Try having a penalty shot after all that. You exhale, think it’s over, especially in overtime. It’s hard.”
After Ullmark’s penalty shot save, both teams refocused, and redemption was on the menu for Martinook.
“Just happy for Marty,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s been one of those guys, and it’s nice to see him get that recognition for a game like that.”
The Hurricanes were in control at the midway point of regulation after building a 2-0 lead, but Ottawa pushed back to tie the game.
Three minutes after Staal set up Aho for the goal that extended the lead to 2-0, Drake Batherson attempted a centering pass that Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin blocked. But the puck went right back to Batherson, who roofed a shot past Andersen at 10:47 of the second period. It was the first goal allowed by Andersen in more than 90 minutes to start the series.
Ottawa needed fewer than six minutes to get its second and tie the game.
After a neutral zone turnover by Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven, the Senators counterattacked, and Dylan Cozens’ bad-angle shot from the bottom of the right circle hit Andersen’s pads and trickled in at 16:40 to even the score at 2-2.
“You’re going to make mistakes. Everyone does,” Andersen said. “It’s about what’s next. And obviously we had to play a lot going forward. Just refocus and get ready for the next one.”
Carolina took an early lead thanks to its power play.
On its only chance of the game in the first period, the Hurricanes sent out their second unit to start the man advantage. Taylor Hall set up behind the Ottawa net and waited for a lane to open. His pass to Stankoven in the low slot found its mark, and Stankoven scored his second goal of the series for a 1-0 Hurricanes lead at 6:31 of the first period.
“A really good pass,” Stankoven said. “I was just sitting in the middle, and he made a nice play to find me.”
The Hurricanes extended their lead in the second period just after killing off a penalty.
Staal and Aho came in on a 2-on-1 rush just after Sean Walker exited the box, and Staal’s pass was finished by Aho to double the lead at 7:50 of the second period.
It was just the second time this season the tandem connected on a goal, and it was Staal’s first time assisting on an Aho goal since Nov. 30, 2023.
What happened in the final 17 minutes of the game has probably never happened before.
“Hockey’s crazy. Sports are crazy,” Martinook said. “Being able to score after that, I’ll tell my grandkids about that one, that’s for sure.”
Notes: Ottawa defensemen Jake Sanderson and Chabot each eclipsed 40 minutes. … William Carrier had 12 hits. … Ottawa won 51 of 80 faceoffs. … Forwards Nicolas Deslauriers and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, defenseman Mike Reilly and goalie Pyotr Kochetkov were healthy scratches for Carolina.
