"No, Seriously, Thanks for Absolutely Nothing Florida": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 77: Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators

A chance to claim the division crown is back on the table for the Carolina Hurricanes today, and they won't need to rely on anyone else to get it done this time. The Canes just need one point against the Ottawa Senators to finish the job, though the Panthers taking the Penguins to overtime or outright beating them would help, too. Meanwhile, the Senators are holding on, fighting for a chance to get into the postseason, entering the day in the final spot, though it's far from secure. The Senators will be ready to fight for their lives, while the Canes must be ready to respond in the second half of a back-to-back less than 24 hours later.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (5:22- PP)- Logan Stankoven (18) (Nikolaj Ehlers (41) & Jackson Blake (26))

OTT (7:17-PP)- Dylan Cozens (27) (Tim Stutzle (46) & Drake Batherson (35))

OTT (8:52)- Tim Stutzle (33) (unassisted)

CAR (19:41)- Andrei Svechnikov (29) (unassisted)

2nd Period

OTT (8:34)- Brady Tkachuk (21) (Artem Zub (24) & Ridly Grieg (20))

3rd Period

OTT (2:51-PP)- Shane Pinto (21) (Fabian Zetterlund (15))

OTT (6:33)- Brady Tkachuk (22) (Ridly Greig (21) & Dylan Cozens (28))

CAR (17:31)- Taylor Hall (16) (Sean Walker (19) & Jackson Blake (27))

OTT (19:03-EN)- Claude Giroux (13) (Shane Pinto (21) & Jake Sanderson (38))

My Thoughts

This is going to be another short one because Easter dinner took me away from the game for a little bit, but that seems to be okay after the effort that the Carolina Hurricanes put in tonight. Less than 24 hours after a big divisional win, this group looked tired, slow, and indecisive. Their opponents, who also played yesterday, albeit earlier, looked the exact opposite. One team scored a lot. The other team didn't. The Senators won just about every race to the front of the net and battle along the boards. They were the more dominant team between the dots and around the crease. They scored some beautiful goals and some hard-working goals. They did just about everything the right way. It's the first time this week that the Hurricanes failed to match another team's desperation. 

Honestly, it felt like a bit of luck that the Canes got out of the first period tied at two. The power play got back in the goal column for the ninth time in ten games, but the momentum swing came after Ottawa scored twice, including a beautiful goal by Tim Stutzle. However, Andrei Svechnikov showed a fair bit of hockey IQ by preventing Linus Ullmark from covering a puck. The Senators' defense was trying to get Ullmark the puck so he could freeze it. Instead, Svechnikov stuck his stick under Ullmark's glove to prevent him from getting to the puck, allowing Svechnikov to slide it past his pad. It felt like a moment that could potentially turn the tide for the Canes. Unfortunately, Ottawa scored the next three goals, so it was all for naught.

In closing, let's talk about the fun stuff. This time of year, while we're watching to see the team succeed, you also want to see players hit personal milestones and set new career benchmarks along the way. We got a few of those tonight. Nikolaj Ehlers got back on the scoresheet with an assist tonight, recording his 65th point to set a new career-high in points during his first season as a Hurricane. Taylor Hall finally scored his 300th goal late in the game, putting home a rebound. He'd been sitting on 299 for a while, so it had to feel good to see that one go in. Sean Walker recorded his 100th career assist as the primary helper. Hopefully, we'll get a few more moments like that down the stretch.

First Star of the Game: Logan Stankoven

He scored a goal on the power play and had three shots, which both seem to be pretty good. It's hard to pick someone, even after a game like that.

Around the League

Pittsburgh: For the second time in as many days, the Penguins thwarted the Canes' clinching plans by beating the Panthers in regulation, doing so today, 5-2.

Philadelphia: Porter Martone's first NHL goal proved to be massive, securing a 2-1 overtime win for the Flyers and propelling them into the third spot in the Metro.

New York: Sitting idly by as the Flyers jumped past them, the Islanders made a shocking decision to fire Patrick Roy and name Pete DeBoer their new head coach on Sunday.

Columbus: With the current state of the Eastern Conference, their next clash against Detroit on Tuesday has a lot more riding on it.

Washington: The Capitals are having their bell run by the Rangers right now, trailing 6-1 after two periods, so things are looking bleak in D.C. 

Current Standings

Carolina:104 Points (5 GR)

Pittsburgh: 96 Points (4 GR)

Philadelphia: 90 Points (5 GR)

New York: 89 Points (4 GR)

Columbus: 88 Points (5 GR)

Washington: 87 Points (4 GR)

Next Up: The Hurricanes host the Bruins to close the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday night before embarking on a four-game road trip to end the season. Their stops include a trip to the Windy City to meet Connor Bedard on Thursday, Salt Lake City on Saturday, and a season-ending divisional back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders the following Monday and Tuesday.