The Ottawa Senators were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, marking their elimination. The Senators failed to win any games and did not hold a lead in the series.
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Senators' wasted opportunities resulted in a humiliating sweep originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Ottawa Senators were the first team to be eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs after the Carolina Hurricanes completed the sweep on Saturday.
It was a very disappointing showing by the Senators in this opening round against the Hurricanes. Not only did Ottawa not win a single game, but they also never held a lead in any game throughout the four-game series.
Though they were completely dominated by Carolina, certain moments of the series went Ottawaâs way, and they never took advantage. In fact, it was a huge opportunity missed for the Sens to at least make it a longer series or put the Canes on the ropes.
Exhibit A would be the type of goaltending the Senators received from Linus Ullmark in these playoffs.
All season long, and even at times last year, Ottawa desperately needed Ullmark to perform better. Earlier in the 2025-26 campaign, the Senatorsâ goaltending was largely the reason the team had to claw its way into the post-season.
MORE:Â Senators Post-Mortem: Back To Drawing Board After First-Round Sweep Vs. Hurricanes
The Ottawa Senators were eliminated after being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes, losing all four games in the series.
The Ottawa Senators did not win any games against the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoff series.
No, the Ottawa Senators never held a lead in any of the four games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes completed the sweep of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
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But toward the end of the regular season, and all of the playoffs, Ullmark performed the way the team has been begging him to. He recorded a .932 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average in the four-game series against the Hurricanes.
Ottawa could no longer use the goaltending excuse for their failures, and ultimately couldnât ride the wave of Ullmarkâs spectacular goaltending.
Not only did the Sens not take advantage of their goalieâs backstopping abilities in this series, but they also saw plenty of power play time.
Following Sundayâs fixtures, the Senators have the most power-play opportunities in the Stanley Cup playoffs with 21. Yet, they only recorded one marker on the man advantage - only the Buffalo Sabres have fewer power-play goals, having failed to register one so far.
The problem isnât simply that Ottawa didnât convert on its power play opportunities, but the Senatorsâ chances to bag a few goals were set on a platter.
In a short playoff round, the Senators still managed to earn four 5-on-3 power-play opportunities. Itâs extremely rare to have that many two-man advantages in the post-season, let alone to average one per game in the first round.
With the talent of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson (before he got hurt), Claude Giroux, and others, itâs completely mind-boggling how Ottawa couldnât find the back of the net just a few more times against a defensively impressive Carolina team.
The Senatorsâ performance in this series could lead to a degree of shakeup within the organization, whether thatâs with the roster or behind the bench. But the truth is, this wasnât a pretty playoff campaign for Ottawa, and theyâll regret this for some time.