2023-24 Regular Season, Game 68: Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators (Postgame)

The quick weekend trip to Canada finished in Canada's capital on Sunday night. Both the Hurricanes and Senators played on Saturday, earning wins in extra time. The Canes' win over the Maple Leafs was especially dramatic, getting two goals in the final 1:32 of regulation to force overtime and winning in the shootout after killing a penalty in overtime. Brady Tkachuk earned his 30th goal and a hat trick with Ottawa's overtime win over the Islanders. The Canes looked to pick up a second win on their trip before heading back stateside to close the journey on Tuesday.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (7:19)- Dmitry Orlov (4) (assisted by Brendan Lemieux (2) & Martin Necas (26))

OTT (13:50)- Thomas Chabot (7) (assisted by Brady Tkachuk (26) & Parker Kelly (8))

2nd Period

CAR (2:03)- Evgeny Kuznetsov (8) PP (assisted by Brady Skjei (27) & Dmitry Orlov (18))

OTT (4:51)- Tim Stutzle (17) (assisted by Thomas Chabot (17) & Claude Giroux (37))

CAR (19:38)- Seth Jarvis (23) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (45) & Jake Guentzel (34))

3rd Period

CAR (4:41)- Jalen Chatfield (7) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (46) & Dmitry Orlov (19))

CAR (7:14)- Dmitry Orlov (5) (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (28) & Evgeny Kuznetsov (13))

CAR (8:52)- Jake Guentzel (23) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (47) & Jalen Chatfield (14))

CAR (13:07)- Brendan Lemieux (3) (assisted by Brent Burns (26) & Jaccob Slavin (23))

My Thoughts

That was a close game until it wasn't. For 40 minutes, the Hurricanes couldn't find a way to pull away from the Senators, having two one-goal leads eliminated. When Seth Jarvis scored late in the second period, the final result felt inevitable. The Canes don't lose when Jarvis scores a goal. They started the third period with a goal from Jalen Chatfield and took off from there. Chatfield's goal broke Ottawa's will, and every goal from there only broke them a little more. With a 7-2 final, there isn't much I didn't like about this game, even with how close it was for most of the night. 

Dmitry Orlov had one of the best nights of his career tonight, putting up two goals and two assists. He and Chatfield were unstoppable, continuing a trend that has been going on for the last few games. Chatfield did get walked by Tim Stutzle on his goal in the second period, but the goal Chatfield scored in the third period more than made up for it. Orlov was on the ice for five of the seven goals, and he would've picked up a third assist if Chatfield and Sebastian Aho hadn't touched the puck before Jake Guentzel scored his first as a Hurricane in the third period. Their performances led to an overall great night for the defense. Only Brett Pesce failed to find the scoresheet, with Brady Skjei, Brent Burns, and Jaccob Slavin adding assists. 

Along with Orlov and Chatfield's multi-point nights, four forwards joined them. Aho led the forward group with three assists, giving him six points during this weekend's back-to-back. Guentzel added an assist to his first with his new team. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his second as a Hurricane on the power play in the second period and assisted on Orlov's second goal. Brendan Lemieux, who was in again for Teuvo Teravainen, set up Orlov's first goal and redirected a shot to kick the extra point in the Canes' seven-goal outburst. The top two lines for the Canes dominated the game. Aho and Guentzel proved to have some insane chemistry. Kuznetsov has found a good home with Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov over the last four periods. 

Backing it all up was Frederik Andersen. He had to be sharp early, and while I didn't love the first goal to Thomas Chabot, I can't fault him for Stutzle's wizardry. His best moment tonight came after the game got out of hand. Andersen used his paddle to deny Eric Brannstrom on a rebound to prevent Ottawa from garnering any momentum. He's been stellar since returning to the team. For all of the early-season goalie issues the team had, it has been so nice to see things going the other way. The Canes are hot right now, and their goalies have been a big part of that.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Brendan Lemieux- 1 goal, 1 assist

We talk about the role of the fourth line as a trio that provides energy with their limited ice time. Tonight, Lemieux made the most of his chances. His beautiful pass to Orlov kicked things off for the Canes in the first period, supplementing a great kill after he took a penalty. He finished his night with a goal, too, giving him a late birthday present.

2nd Star- Sebastian Aho- 3 assists

It was a good weekend in Ontario for Aho, picking up six points in wins over Toronto and Ottawa. Big players make big plays, and the play of the night was his pass to Jarvis on his goal late in the second period to put the Canes up 3-2. All three of his helpers were primary assists, helping Guentzel and Chatfield put shots in the back of the net.

1st Star- Dmitry Orlov- 2 goals, 2 assists

Orlov has had great individual moments, like his game-winner against Arizona and his return to Washington, but tonight was easily his best game of the season. Like Aho, Orlov had a great weekend. He had one assist last night before exploding for four points tonight, including his first two-goal game as a Hurricane. The team really wanted to get him his third goal, sending him out for the entirety of their late power play.

Postseason Watch- As the Hurricanes continue to win, so too do the New York Rangers. Playing this afternoon, the Rangers beat the Islanders 5-2, maintaining their four-point lead over the Hurricanes. With the Flyers idle today, the Canes are now 14 points ahead of Philly for second place as they inch closer to home ice for the first round.

Up Next- The final stop on the Canes' road trip will be on Long Island on Tuesday night for the fourth meeting with the New York Islanders. They'll have a busy week next week, playing another back-to-back on Thursday and Friday. Thursday night will be a home game against the Philadelphia Flyers before they travel to Washington, D.C., on Friday night.