NHL Playoffs: Hurricanes Win Against Senators in Controversial 2OT Game, Lead Series 2-0
James Guillory-Imagn Images It’s not every night you see double overtime…and watch the removal of a game-winning goal…and become filled with joy when you hear Nickelback playing, but for the Carolina Hurricanes and their fans, Monday night was that night as they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a heated matchup. In the first period, the second line – which was the dominant line in Game 1 – struck first as Logan Stankoven beat Linus Ullmark through the five-hole, with assists from both his linemates, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake. It wasn’t until the second period that more scoring occurred, which began nearly eight minutes in with a sleek tip-in goal from Sebastian Aho, with the lone assist from Jordan Staal, just seconds after the conclusion of a successful penalty kill.
However, it wasn’t long until the Senators bit back, as Drake Batherson got Ottawa their first goal of the series after he potted the rebound on his own disrupted pass to Claude Giroux. Before long, Dylan Cozens tied the game with a five-hole goal on Frederik Andersen, assisted by Ridley Greig and Jake Sanderson – the latter of whom intercepted a pass from Logan Stankoven. The third period was cricket chirps on the scoresheet, though there was a notable push from the Senators, who outshot the Hurricanes 8-5 in the frame.
Onward to overtime, chances were present on both sides of the ice, but the Hurricanes had a stroke of luck late in the frame…or so they thought. Controversial Offside Call Erases Hurricanes’ Overtime Game-Winner With just a tad over three minutes left, Staal crossed the blue line and made a pass to Jordan Martinook, who then drew a hooking penalty on Warren Foegele as he prepared to launch the puck at the net. Andersen made a mad dash for the bench as the extra attacker hit the ice for the delayed penalty, and with 2:42 left in the period, Mark Jankowski ripped it past Ullmark, soon followed by celebration from the team and fans.
However, it then underwent an official league review. The referees ultimately announced after some discussion that the play was offside, stating that Staal did not have control of the puck when crossing the blueline, and removing the goal Jankowski had scored. Furthermore, the referees also announced that Martinook would take a penalty shot, rather than a power play.
Both wisely and comically, the Hurricanes’ DJ began blasting Rockstar by Nickelback, who Martinook has frequently cited as his favorite band, to try to energize him for the shot. However, the shot never found twine. The game soon went into a second overtime, and with 13:53 remaining, Martinook sealed the deal with a 3-2 win – the first overtime game-winning goal of his 12-season career.