10 Takeaways: Hurricanes Edge Out Senators In Emotional Game 4 To Complete Sweep

The Carolina Hurricanes are moving on to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after sweeping the Ottawa Senators. The Canes finished off the series with a 4-2 win at the Canadian Tire Centre, a highly emotional and physical game. Here are 10 takeaways from Game 4: 1.

Taylor Hall: The Impeacher While Logan Stankoven will get a lot of the headlines for his four-goal performance in the series, to me, Taylor Hall was the one stirring the glass for that dominant second line. Hall led all skaters in the series in points with seven (that's also tied for the most in the entire league this postseason) and he was just a constant presence on the ice. He got the scoring started for Carolina in Game 4 and also assisted on Stankoven's go-ahead goal that essentially won the game.

Throughout the series, Hall hasn't been afraid to take contact, which led to multiple scoring opportunities, and his dynamic playmaking abilities allowed him to create tons of chances even in the midst of partial line changes. In Game 4 alone, the veteran led all forwards in chance share and also had the highest expected goals for percentage. "I couldn't imagine being in a better spot teamwise," Hall said.

"Just the mix of guys that we have and having Rod as a coach has been awesome for me personally. I think the way he pushes buttons, it's not really pushing buttons, but he gets the most out of his players and I think as the year has gone on, I just felt more comfortable and more comfortable to the point where I don't really have to think much out there and when I get to that point, I feel pretty good as a hockey player. " "He's been great," Staal said of Hall.