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. "He gives us another dynamic there and he skates obviously so well. He's just been making solid plays with the puck and creating offense in a great way. With that line, there's no question that they were the best line in that series and they helped us win all four of those games. That line was huge for us." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. PENALTY KILL SUPREMACY It was a parade to the penalty box for the Canes in Game 4, as they spent a total of 13:21 shorthanded. Granted they really shouldn't have been shorthanded that often, but regardless, they put their heads down and got to work, killing off nearly every penalty that was assessed to them. They were shorthanded on nine different instances, with three of those being 5v3 scenarios. They killed off every one of those and were only beat on a single PK on a Drake Batherson drive-by deflection. All-in-all, the penalty kill was outstanding all series, but especially so in closing out the game. "Tim Gleason, who runs our D, just did a great job with the little adjustments, I thought," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Then you have to give credit to our penalty kill, the guys that went out there. You don't want to be in the box that much, but if you are, it certainly gives us confidence that we can handle it." "I think that was the biggest reason why we won that series," Aho said on the PK. "We killed so many penalties in crucial moments. That was a big one for us. I loved how we battled. Just kept pushing." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. JACCOB SLAVIN STEPPING UP Oh and of those 13-plus minutes shorthanded, Jaccob Slavin was on the ice for 10:14 of them. Slavin told us that this was the most rested he's ever felt heading into the playoffs (missing over half the regular season due to injuries will do that) and we're seeing firsthand the Hurricanes' willingness to use him as much as they can because of that. Slavin was also the main guy to see his minutes ramped up after Alexander Nikishin left the game due to injury. The veteran blueliner logged 26:22 in total, nearly three minutes more than the next best defenseman. When you see all the headlines about Ottawa's stars not getting on the scoresheet, just think of Slavin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. THE POWER PLAY CAME THROUGH IN THE END The power play hasn't been the brightest spot for Carolina and that was again the case on Saturday with Carolina going 0 for 4 to start the game. However, they finally made their mark on their final power play and, of course, it was Logan Stankoven coming through in the clutch. After Stankoven won a draw (one of only four he won all night), the Canes got to cycling and eventually K'Andre Miller, inserted onto PP2 in place of Nikishin, let a shot go. The shot missed the net, but careened off of the end boards right to Stankoven at the backdoor and the centerman jumped all over it to essentially put the dagger in the Senators. "That last one, I was just trying to get it to the net," Stankoven said. "It was a good bounce off the boards and just the way I saw it out of the corner of my eye, the goalie was kind of going to be in desperation mode and so I just tried to throw it there. Luckily enough, it went in so it's nice to contribute individually and I think our line has been good. We're just keep going on that." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. FREDERIK ANDERSEN DELIVERS YET AGAIN Another day, another Freddie Andersen masterclass. The veteran netminder has been awesome since the start of the playoffs and he was absolutely vital in the sweep. In Game 4, Andersen turned aside 25 shots, posting a 0.926 save percentage. Oh, and he was beaten absolutely zero times at even strength. According to Natural Stat Trick, Andersen saved 2.91 goals above expected just at 5v5 alone. He's been everything Carolina could have hoped for and I think a lot of online fans owe him some flowers. "Can't understate it, especially when you consider how well the other guy was playing in their end," Brind'Amour said on his netminder's performance. "Like, it was a goalie matchup and they were going save for save. And we needed it. Otherwise this thing could have looked a lot different. Freddie... that was probably the best hockey he's played for us since being a Hurricane." "It could have been a different series if he wasn't playing the way he was," Walker said. "Stood on his head every night, made incredible saves when we needed them. He was a real difference in this series, for sure." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. TOP LINE PUSHING For as much flak as the Senators' top guys are going to catch, Carolina's weren't too impressive either. The Hurricanes' top line had zero 5v5 points across four games and were really not winning their minutes either. But I did think that on Saturday they looked the best they had as a line since Game 1. Sebastian Aho was a lot more noticeable and I liked the way PP1 was moving the puck in their first few chances. And in the end, Aho did score twice into the empty net at the end of the game, with Jarvis picking up two assists as well, so maybe that'll kickstart something for those two in the second round. For what it's worth though, I think Andrei Svechnikov has been going since Game 1. "That line did diddly squat this whole series," Brind'Amour said. "Thankfully, their top line, they kind of cancelled each other out, but that's a good sign that we can get through a team like that and those guys weren't really a factor. We know moving on that they're gonna have to be better and they will." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. RESPONDING TO THE NONSENSE As it became more and more clear that Ottawa wasn't going to be able to do anything against Carolina, the game got more and more physical, leading to the eventual hit on Nikishin and then just a total collapse of order in the second period as multiple players started taking liberties, none worse than Ridly Greig throwing one of the dirtiest cheap shots I've seen at Sean Walker. But rather than shrink away from the physicality, the Canes embraced it, dealing out some punishment of their own on a few questionable hits and plays. As Jordan Staal said in Game 1, this team isn't going to be pushed around and they showed just that as they dished it right back to the Senators and then won the game and series to boot. "The battle level and the way we stuck together, that was unbelievable," Aho said. But what was most impressive was the way the team reset in the second intermission and came back much more in control in the third period, where they were able to grind away the victory. "Obviously it was a pretty interesting period, so it was definitely a moment to come in here, cool down, reset and try to not give them as many opportunities on the power play," Walker said on the third period reset. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. BEND DON'T BREAK For as good as the Logan Stankoven line was at winning their minutes, the same can't be said for the rest of the lineup. The Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal lines gave up a lot of grade-A looks throughout the 60-minutes, posting a 34.18% and 2.86% expected goals for percentages respectively. But in the end, they didn't give up any 5v5 goals in Game 4, so at the end of the day, you'll take it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. FACEOFF NIGHTMARES After bouncing back in the dot in Game 3, Game 4 was yet another disaster class for the Hurricanes. The Canes won just 34% of the draws on Saturday, and to highlight just how bad it was, Jordan Staal was the best for Carolina at just 38%, winning 12 of 32. Rod Brind'Amour utilized Staal for almost every faceoff he could and even then the team was barely treading water. Aho was 36%, Stankoven was 31%, Jarvis lost all three he jumped in on and Jankowski only took two draws in total. Hopefully things get better for Carolina down the road now that one of the league's top faceoff squads is out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. HEALTH CONCERNS The Canes were already without Nikolaj Ehlers heading into Game 4 as the elite winger was ruled out with a lower-body injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/nikolaj-ehlers-to-miss-game-4-due-to-lower-body-injury], but the injury report grew by one before the end of the night with Nikishin's injury. The rookie blueliner is a tough customer, but he was absolutely rocked by Tyler Kleven [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/alexander-nikishin-exits-game-4-following-monster-hit-from-tyler-kleven] as he was trying to play a puck. He had to then be helped off the ice and was definitely wobbly on his skates, eventually being ruled out for the remainder of the evening. However, he was at least up and about after the game. "I thought [Ehlers] was going to go," Brind'Amour said after the game. "He was questionable and just didn't feel right. Obviously we need him in there. Nikishin, I can't tell you. That's obviously a concussion there or something. Certainly looked like one. So I don't have anything definitive there on that one." It may take some time for Nikishin to get out of concussion protocol, but with the Canes being the lone team to advance, they at least have time to get these guys rested before the second round. 'Everyone Had Their Hand In It': Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Sean Walker, Rod Brind'Amour On First Round Sweep [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7e48bd42-a551-459a-8691-b4eed6efd661.jpeg] 'Everyone Had Their Hand In It': Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Sean Walker, Rod Brind'Amour On First Round Sweep From Andersen's heroics to the second line's fire, Hurricanes players and coach detail their dominant first-round sweep. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/game-day/everyone-had-their-hand-in-it-logan-stankoven-taylor-hall-jordan-staal-sebastian-aho-sean-walker-rod-brindamour-on-first-round-sweep] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECENT ARTICLES How Sweep It Is: Hurricanes Defeat Senators In Four; Advance To Second Round [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/game-day/how-sweep-it-is-hurricanes-defeat-senators-in-four-advance-to-second-round] Experience Reigning Supreme for Alexander Nikishin In Second Playoff Stint [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/players/experience-reining-supreme-for-alexander-nikishin-in-second-playoff-stint] Redemption: Jordan Martinook Scores First Career Playoff OT Winner After Penalty Shot Miss; Hurricanes Take 2-0 Series Lead [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/game-day/redemption-jordan-martinook-scores-first-career-playoff-ot-winner-after-penalty-shot-miss-hurricanes-take-2-0-series-lead] 'I Feel Fresh': Jaccob Slavin's Early Absence May Be Blessing In Disguise For Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/i-feel-fresh-early-absence-of-jaccob-slavin-may-be-blessing-in-disguise-for-hurricanes] Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2fc97c03-6cff-45e8-ae59-23b0632dfa24.jpeg] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! 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