2025-26 Regular Season, Game 52 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes extended their point streak on Thursday night, but they couldn't find the second point in a shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Canes fell behind three times in the game, but they responded with a goal to get the game to overtime. Ilya Mikheyev scored short-handed in the first period after intercepting a telegraphed pass and popping home a rebound after Frederik Andersen stopped the initial chance. Joel Nystrom tied it by scoring his first NHL goal with a quick snapshot from inside the dots. In the second period, Nick Lardis broke through by squeezing a shot under his arm. Jordan Staal got it back for the Canes, burying a 2-on-1 over Spencer Knight's shoulder. In the third, Connor Murphy slid a shot around Andersen's pad, but Jackson Blake scored 42 seconds later to tie it a third time. Both goalies made big stops in overtime before the Blackhawks won it in the shootout. Andrei Svechnikov and Connor Bedard each scored in the second round before Oliver Moore, who was annihilated in a fight with Alexander Nikishin earlier in the night, capped his 21st birthday by scoring the shootout-deciding goal in the sixth round and earning the second point for the Blackhawks.

Injury Report

Shayne Gostisbehere: Rod Brind'Amour was optimistic that his nagging groin injury wouldn't keep him out for much longer, anticipating he would be back before the pause.

Eric Robinson: His absence on the fourth line will likely last through the Olympic break, and the boss confirmed that 

Noah Philp: He returned to practice in a non-contact jersey at Friday's practice, so he could be nearing a return from his concussion.

Charles Alexis Legault: It was the first time since he sliced his hand in Toronto that he joined the group for a skate, doing so in a yellow jersey on Friday.

The Opponent: Ottawa Senators (23-20-7, 53 Points; 8th in the Atlantic Division)

Last Season's Meetings: The Senators took two of three from the Hurricanes a season ago, with each team earning a shutout victory in Raleigh. The Canes opened the series with a 4-0 win on home ice. The Staal line combined for two goals and five points, and the power play struck twice to back Spencer Martin's 24-save shutout. A month later, in the same building, it was Linus Ullmark's turn. Shane 
Pinto (2G), Michael Amadio (1G, 1A), Nick Jensen (1G, 1A), and Nick Cousins (2A) provided all of the scoring that Ullmark would require in a 31-save blanking of the Canes in Raleigh. The sides met in Ottawa in their respective season finales. It was a bananas game, featuring twelve goals and nine power plays for the Senators. The game experienced some wild swings. Ottawa took a 3-0 lead in the first period, but the Canes scored five unanswered to lead 5-3 after 40. The Senators responded with four unanswered in the third to claim a 7-5 victory. Skylar Brind'Amour scored his first NHL goal, Andrei Svechnikov hit the 20-goal mark, and a trio of Senators had three-point nights to wrap up the regular season.

Since We Last Met: It's a little crazy that a team three games over Bettman's .500 is in dead last in a division, but that's the way the Atlantic Division has looked this season. While they sit nine points out of a playoff spot entering play tonight, there is no counting them out. The Senators made the playoffs for the first time since their magical run to the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, falling in six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The group is pretty much the same from a season ago, adding Jordan Spence on defense. Otherwise, the core remains in place for Travis Green. While by no means playing terribly, they've endured a few rough patches this season that the teams ahead in the division either haven't faced or haven't dealt with for as long. They have just five wins in their last 15 contests, and a lot of it boils down to poor goaltending. Their team's save percentage is dead last, nine points worse than anyone else. Linus Ullmark has struggled, Leevi Merilainen hasn't stepped up, and they didn't have another backup that they trusted enough, so James Reimer was brought in to help turn things around. He's 1-1-1 in three starts since joining the team earlier this month. Despite their defensive struggles, this team can score goals. Tim Stutzle leads the way with 22 goals and 51 points. Drake Batherson isn't far behind with 19 tallies. Jake Sanderson is Top 10 in defenseman scoring and goals. They have a good group in place. With better goaltending, they could make a serious push, assuming someone ahead of them starts to struggle.

Stories to Watch

1. Getting the power play back on track

Thursday was not a very good night for the Hurricanes' power play. In five chances, they generated next to nothing against the Blackhawks and allowed a short-handed goal, which proved to be a big moment in the contest. Tonight, they're going from the league's second-best penalty kill to the league's second-worst penalty kill. The Senators have allowed multiple power-play goals in five of their last eight games and 11 total during that time. Hopefully, it was just one bad game for the Canes' man advantage.

2. Setting a physical tone

One of the areas of the Canes' game I enjoyed the most from Thursday's shootout loss was their physicality. I said as much when talking about the game. They laid a couple of booming hits throughout the night, and Alexander Nikishin got the better of a fight when he was forced into an altercation. The Senators have a few players who aren't afraid to get physical, led by their captain, Brady Tkachuk. So long as they keep it within the confines of the rule book, I'd like to see a little more of that in Canada's capital.