Ottawa Senators – Ottawa’s 2-1 loss to Carolina leaves the Sens down 3-0 again—while injuries, 0-for power play, and recurring slow starts threaten their season.
The Ottawa Senators showed real progress, but their postseason remains stuck in the same difficult rhythm.
Playing a must-win Game 3 on home ice. Ottawa fell 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. putting the Sens down 3-0 for the second straight year.. The scoreline may not look like a blowout, and the series has been tight enough to keep hopes alive.. Yet hockey doesn’t reward moral victories—especially not in a playoff format where momentum and execution compound quickly.
Misryoum’s takeaway is blunt: Ottawa can’t keep spending series digging out of holes.. Even before this postseason began, the team’s habits suggested they were always one bad stretch away from trouble.. Ottawa spent early March sitting six points out of a playoff spot. then relied on a stronger late-season push to get in.. That climb was a sign of improvement. but it also shaped everything that followed—because once you earn a spot by sprinting. you often pay for it in the playoffs when the other side comes ready from the opening puck.
Part of Ottawa’s frustration is also how the games have looked.. Carolina’s wins haven’t been built on domination every minute. but Ottawa still hasn’t managed to control the pace enough to take a lead in the series “for a single shift.” That detail matters because it points to a deeper issue beyond chance and puck luck: the Senators are playing reactively.. When your power play is also struggling, the margin gets thinner.. In this series, Ottawa’s power play is 0-for-12, including an 0-for-5 in Game 3.. Even a good penalty-killing team can only absorb so many missed scoring opportunities before the opponent’s confidence grows.
Ottawa also suffered a major blow in Game 3 when top defender Jake Sanderson left the second period injury-first and never returned.. Coach Travis Green said the injury was caused by a Carolina illegal check to the head of winger Taylor Hall. and he argued that the penalty should have been a major.. Misryoum understands why Ottawa’s leadership would frame it that way: in a playoff series defined by small margins. losing a defensive anchor shifts matchups. changes coverage responsibilities. and forces more minutes onto players who already aren’t operating at their fullest.
That is why this moment feels bigger than one game.. If Sanderson is out for any length of time. Ottawa’s path becomes even narrower. and the club’s usual “grind-and-rally” identity—something it displayed last year after dropping 0-3 against Toronto—faces a tougher test.. It’s not only about keeping games close anymore.. It’s about finding reliable ways to generate offense without the defensive stability that lets a team play with confidence.
Carolina, meanwhile, is getting the kind of production that turns close games into decisive stretches.. Logan Stankoven, acquired about 13 months ago, once again opened the scoring in Game 3.. Misryoum sees a pattern here that’s hard to ignore: the small forward has goals in five of his past six playoff outings. stretching back to the 2025 Eastern Conference Final.. He’s not just scoring at the right times—he’s also fitting seamlessly into the Hurricanes’ attacking rhythm. which is why Carolina’s “Plan B” has started to look like a championship-level option.
Stankoven’s line, working between Hall and Jackson Blake, is thriving, and Blake finished the job by scoring the game-winner.. For Carolina. strong secondary offense is more than a bonus in April—it’s the difference between surviving a dangerous stretch and taking control of the series.. The Hurricanes have long been dangerous when they find another gear. and if their second unit continues to generate at this pace. Ottawa’s opportunities will keep shrinking.
The day’s broader playoff chess also offered a reminder that coaching decisions can reset momentum quickly.. In Buffalo’s series work, coach Lindy Ruff went to Alex Lyon in Game 3.. With starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen likely needing a mental reset after allowing a red-line goal in Game 2. Lyon responded with 24 saves in a 3-1 win.. It’s the kind of bounce-back performance playoff teams crave: steady goaltending that removes doubt. especially when the opponent is chasing you for an equalizer.
Depth showed up for Buffalo as well.. Noah Ostlund drew in for the injured Josh Norris and delivered an immediate impact. earning the primary assist on Buffalo’s first goal and the empty-netter that sealed the result.. Bowen Byram also scored in the series before the third period, extending Buffalo’s ability to compete earlier in games.. Misryoum’s lens here is straightforward: while the Sabres can generate moments, their long-term series risk remains power-play consistency.. Buffalo has failed to convert on its past 36 chances. and in the playoffs. those missed looks can decide who gets to flip a series.
Over in Colorado. Artturi Lehkonen continues to be the kind of playoff piece teams quietly build around but only truly appreciate when the games tighten.. Colorado’s 4-2 Game 3 victory over Los Angeles featured Cale Makar’s highlight-reel goal. but Misryoum focused on the supporting work—the screening effort. the puck theft behind the Kings net. and the way Lehkonen stayed connected to the sequence.. Lehkonen then added a short-handed goal in the final frame after a misfire created a two-on-one.. Those are the plays that don’t show up as “star” moments. yet they decide momentum in games that are rarely decided by one thing alone.
In the end, Ottawa’s series storyline isn’t just about being down 3-0.. It’s about habit, injury timing, and execution gaps stacking up at the worst possible moment.. Carolina’s tournament-like efficiency—especially through Stankoven and the supporting cast—has turned close games into repeatable outcomes.. For Ottawa, the next step can’t be simply “trying harder” or hoping the next shift changes everything.. Misryoum’s view is that the Senators need to correct the slow starts. fix the power play. and weather the defensive disruption—because the longer they stay in catch-up mode. the harder it becomes to play the kind of hockey that actually ends series.