Senators' wasted opportunities resulted in a humiliating sweep
The Ottawa Senators were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, largely due to wasted opportunities.
Senators' wasted opportunities resulted in a humiliating sweep originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Ottawa Senators were the first team to be eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs after the Carolina Hurricanes completed the sweep on Saturday.
It was a very disappointing showing by the Senators in this opening round against the Hurricanes. Not only did Ottawa not win a single game, but they also never held a lead in any game throughout the four-game series. Though they were completely dominated by Carolina, certain moments of the series went Ottawa’s way, and they never took advantage.
In fact, it was a huge opportunity missed for the Sens to at least make it a longer series or put the Canes on the ropes. Exhibit A would be the type of goaltending the Senators received from Linus Ullmark in these playoffs. All season long, and even at times last year, Ottawa desperately needed Ullmark to perform better.
Earlier in the 2025-26 campaign, the Senators’ goaltending was largely the reason the team had to claw its way into the post-season. MORE : Senators Post-Mortem: Back To Drawing Board After First-Round Sweep Vs. Hurricanes But toward the end of the regular season, and all of the playoffs, Ullmark performed the way the team has been begging him to.