3 Takeaways From Hurricanes’ 2-0 Shutout Win Over Senators – The Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

After days of waiting, the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, they begin their quest for another deep playoff run in their eighth straight postseason under Rod Brind’Amour. They took on the Ottawa Senators for the first time in the postseason, and right from the jump, Game 1 got physical. What stood out in the Hurricanes’ 2-0 shutout win to take a 1-0 series lead over the Senators?

Takeaway #1: Frederik Andersen Shuts the Door

One of the question marks coming into the series was goalkeeping, specifically the Hurricanes with Frederik Andersen‘s up-and-down season, and Brandon Bussi’s inexperience in the playoffs. Andersen made some huge saves in Game 1 to preserve the shutout. In the third period, the Senators thought they had the game-tying goal on a Drake Batherson shot. At first, the refs thought the puck had gone into the goal, but instead, Andersen made an early playoff robbery save to keep the game 1-0.

He went on to save all 22 Senators’ shots for his sixth playoff shutout, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 series lead on Saturday evening (April 18). While he went 16-14-5 in the regular season, there is no doubting Andersen’s 20-12 playoff record since joining the Hurricanes. He had a 2.02 goals-against average (GAA) and a .907 save percentage (SV%) last postseason. As of now, he has a 0.00 GAA and a 1.000 SV% after Game 1.

Takeaway #2: Second Line Stays Red Hot

While Andersen was playing a complete shutdown game in the crease, the Hurricanes’ second line carried their regular-season momentum into the playoffs. Regarding the two Hurricanes goals, Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake contributed to both. All three players had a multi-point night, giving them six points total in the 2-0 win. Stankoven gave the Hurricanes the 1-0 lead in the second period after some brilliant passing from Hall to Blake to set up a one-touch pass to Stankoven, who ended up getting it past Linus Ullmark.

After Andersen’s huge save on Batherson in the third period, nullifying the game-tying goal, Hall made it 2-0 a few minutes later. He was able to double the Hurricanes’ lead, giving all three guys a multi-point game. The three Hurricanes players were the only ones to tally points in the win. Blake and Stankoven scored 22 and 21 goals, respectively, during the regular season, while Hall had 18. While they were one of the best lines for the Hurricanes all season, it seems that the playoffs won’t slow them down after their Game 1 performance.

Takeaway #3: Setting the Tone

While Andersen earned his sixth playoff shutout and the second line tallied all six points in the win, it was Jordan Staal who set the tone three seconds into the game. At the opening puck drop, he dropped the gloves with Brady Tkachuk and took the early fight win to set the tone. The tone and tempo were certainly set as the Hurricanes had 57 hits, 21 in the first period alone.

Over the last few playoffs, the argument was that the Hurricanes were not a physical team. Safe to say after Game 1, where they had 57 hits while controlling the tempo and setting the tone, the Hurricanes aren’t messing around this time. They’ve been to the Eastern Conference Final twice in the last three seasons. This time, however, there seems to be a different mindset and mood within the locker room in Carolina. If they do keep this up, this could be something to watch over the series and postseason.

While there is still a long way to go in the series, let alone the playoffs, that Game 1 shutout win was huge for the Hurricanes. Their next game is Monday night (April 20) at 7 p.m. Eastern. Will they be able to take what they did in Game 1, learn from it, be ready for a push from the Senators, and take Game 2 as well? Only time will tell, but what a way to begin the series and the playoffs with a shutout win in Game 1.