2025-26 Regular Season, Game 56 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes needed overtime to beat the Los Angeles Kings for the second time this season. They struck first on the power play. Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrei Svechnikov needed just four seconds on their first man advantage to set up Jordan Stall for the opening tally. The 1-0 score remained for most of the afternoon. Brandon Bussi wasn't tested much, and Anton Forsberg stopped everything in sight. They finally earned a second one after some hard work by Jackson Blake and a snipe from Alexander Nikishin. He went off the iron and past Forsberg to double the advantage. Almost immediately, the Kings responded. Samuel Helenius scored 24 seconds later on a 3-on-2 to get the Kings on the board. Late in the period, before the Kings could pull Forsberg, Adrian Kempe threw a pass through two sets of skates to find Quinton Byfield on the backdoor for a tap-in. Just like that, the game was tied. In overtime, the Hurricanes won the draw and never relinquished possession. The winner game off Sebastian Aho's stick, beating Forsberg from between the dots through a screen to avoid another collapse. 

Injury Report

Eric Robinson: Out (but you already knew that)

The Opponent: Ottawa Senators ()

Last Meeting: The Hurricanes extended their point streak to five games in a 4-1 win in Ottawa just 10 days ago. The Canes scored twice against James Reimer in the first 5:36. William Carrier kicked it off, finishing a 2-on-1 with Mark Jankowski after the Senators made a bad line change. Less than two minutes later, Alexander Nikishin made a perfect saucer pass to Seth Jarvis, who went bar-down to double the advantage. The Senators controlled most of the period from there, but the Canes got one more before the horn. Taylor Hall used Thomas Chabot as a screen to snap one between Reimer's pads to make it 3-0 after 20. The Canes got a bounce on the power play midway through the second. On a 5-on-3, Andrei Svechnikov threw the puck at the net from below the goal line. The puck hit Tyler Kleven's skates and trickled over the line, giving the Canes a lucky break. The Senators broke the shutout a few minutes later. Jake Sanderson found Tim Stutzle along the wing, and he put one past Brandon Bussi to cut the deficit to three. That's all they would muster. Bussi finished the night with 35 stops, stealing an otherwise lousy performance by the group, despite the 4-1 final score.

Since We Last Met: The Senators didn't allow their loss to the Hurricanes to spoil their homestand. They proceeded to win their next three games in lopsided efforts against Vegas, Colorado, and New Jersey. Brady Tkachuk was a big part of that, scoring seven points during the week. They also welcomed Linus Ullmark back into the lineup, starting on Saturday against the Devils and again on Monday in Pittsburgh. While it's unlikely that he plays the second half of the back-to-back, it's nice to see him back with the group. His start last night means that James Reimer will meet the Canes for the second time in as many meetings. Every point is important for the Senators right now. They're on the outside of the Wild Card line as we ease into the Olympic break, but every team in the division is within striking distance. The Canes will likely get a heavy dose of Tim Stutzle and company tonight. He scored a goal and set up Claude Giroux on the go-ahead goal in the third period last night against the Penguins.  

Stories to Watch

1. Use Ottawa's travel against them

The Senators come into tonight's game on a four-game winning streak after extending it against the Penguins last night. After the game, they had to fly south to Raleigh for tonight's contest. The Canes sat at home after Sunday's contest. The Senators are having to do a ton of traveling in the final week before the break, going from Pittsburgh to Raleigh to Philadelphia to finish. They'll likely be a tired group in front of James Reimer, so the Canes need to use that to their advantage tonight.

2. Keep the power play going

If there's another area that the Canes can exploit against the Senators, it's their penalty kill. More specifically, the Senators have the worst road penalty kill in the league. The Canes' power play underwent some hard times recently, but they got one to go on Sunday against the Kings. The Senators will take penalties, especially if you get out in front. When they come off their discipline, the Canes must strike to make them pay.