Carolina Hurricanes Push Ottawa Senators to Brink with Game 3 Win
The Carolina Hurricanes took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference First Round with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Logan Stankoven opened the scoring for the third consecutive game, giving Carolina an early lead. Jackson Blake added the game-winning goal in the second period, continuing his strong postseason performance. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves in net for the Hurricanes, securing the win.
Ottawa’s only goal came from Drake Batherson, but the Senators went 0-for-5 on the power play, including a missed 5-on-3 opportunity lasting 1:28 in the second period. Linus Ullmark stopped 25 shots for Ottawa in the loss.
The game took a significant turn when Senators’ top defenseman Jake Sanderson left the contest in the second period after a hit to the head from Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall. Hall received a minor penalty for an illegal check at 4:24 of the period. Sanderson played two shifts after the hit before exiting the game. Ottawa coach Travis Green confirmed afterward that Sanderson’s departure was due to the head injury.
“Not fun,” said Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot. “That’s the biggest piece of our team, probably.”
Despite a strong national anthem performance by legendary singer Lyndon Slewidge that energized the home crowd, Ottawa could not overcome the Hurricanes’ disciplined, low-event style. Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour praised his team’s execution, saying, “That’s how you aim for to play on the road in the playoffs. The start was important and then I thought we played hard the rest of the night. Everyone contributed. That’s how we’ve got to get it done.”
With the series now at 3-0, the Hurricanes are one win away from completing a sweep. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Ottawa, where Carolina will look to advance to the second round for the sixth consecutive season.