NHL Playoffs: Penalty Kills Shine as Hurricanes Win Game 3 Over Senators

Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images Thursday, in a game riddled with penalties galore, the Carolina Hurricanes took the 3-0 lead in the Round One series against the Ottawa Senators with a 2-1 win in Game 3. As the puck dropped in Canada’s Capital for the first time this postseason, the Hurricanes did not let off the gas following two well-played games in their own home barn. They started things off quickly, as Logan Stankoven found the back of the net just over five minutes into the game, after only three shots had been made on Linus Ullmark’s net.

Both of the other goals came in the second period. The first came from the stick of Drake Batherson after an accidental nullification of offside as Jordan Martinook swept the puck back into the defensive zone, effectively tying the game. The second – the game-winning goal – came from the stick of Jackson Blake , following an effort from Taylor Hall for the secondary assist, and an incredibly deceptive pass from defenseman K’Andre Miller for the primary assist, all the while Stankoven caused chaos in front of Ullmark’s net – screening him with his own teammates.

However, the story of the night did not lie solely in the offense. The Hurricanes’ defense was outstanding throughout the game. In the second period, the Hurricanes took five penalties, and they killed every last one of them.

Midway through the frame, they wound up at a five-on-three disadvantage, and amazingly, they did not allow a single shot. Jaccob Slavin led all players on the ice with four blocks throughout the game, while Sean Walker had three. Both teams finished the game with perfect penalty kills.