Hurricanes take Game One Fight against Senators 2-0
The Gloves were dropped early, and the Canes take a 1-0 series lead
Apr 18, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) and Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) fight during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images Jordan Staal got the crowd going with a fight, Frederik Andersen was outstanding, and the Carolina Hurricanes took down the Ottawa Senators in a dominant 2-0 performance that saw the team take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Any hopes of a sleepy start by either team, but especially the Canes who have basically been allowed to coast for the last couple of weeks were dashed from the start when Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal dropped the gloves for a fight that didn’t last long.
It seemed as if Tkachuk was trying to tell everyone he was fine after a scary incident earlier in week on Long Island when he stumbled off the ice, so that was accomplished. That said, Tkachuk easily lost as he took several punches from the Canes Captain before ripping him down onto the ice. CAPTAIN FIGHT AT PUCK DROP!!!
THIS IS THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS!! 🍿 pic. twitter.
com/yrTOMuOH6t — Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 18, 2026 The rest of the period was as expected—a contest between two teams playing the same style. It took the Hurricanes several minutes to register a shot on goal, yet they basically dominated play to the first TV timeout. Both teams were in passing lines, diving to the ice, and clogging things up trying to prevent a score.
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