Hurricanes vs. Senators Game 3: Key takeaways as Carolina puts Ottawa on the brink

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksNHL playoff predictionsBracketStanley Cup tiersNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Playoffs Carolina forward Jackson Blake recorded his fourth point of the series on a second-period, game-winning goal. Josh Lavallee / NHLI via Getty Images Share article1OTTAWA — The Eastern Conference’s best team is one game away from a first-round sweep. Behind goals from forwards Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, who continued their line’s dominance from the start of the series, the Hurricanes edged the Senators 2-1 on Thursday night. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves in the win while Linus Ullmark countered with 25 saves for Ottawa. Drake Batherson scored the Senators’ lone goal. The Sens now face a 3-0 playoff deficit for the second straight year. To make matters worse for the home team at Canadian Tire Centre, it lost No. 1 defenseman Jake Sanderson to injury after he blocked a shot in the second period. Carolina can end the series as early as Saturday afternoon, when the Senators will host Game 4. The Canes have reached the second round for five consecutive seasons, and the conference finals in two of their last three years. Here are some takeaways from Game 4. The Canes’ second line of Taylor Hall, Stankoven and Blake continues to frustrate the Senators. They began the night with a goal from Stankoven, his third of the series. He’s registered the opening tally in all three games of the series, becoming the third player in NHL history to accomplish the feat after Steve Yzerman (Red Wings, 1999) and George Armstrong (Maple Leafs, 1956). “It’s nice to chip in offensively,” Stankoven said Thursday morning. “I think I still have more to give, though, just in terms of not only trying to put the puck in the net but I think just being able to sustain some zone time. I think our line as a whole, we can do a little bit better job of just controlling the play and holding on to the puck.” Well, the trio found success against the Senators on that front. Both goals came after the Canes made the most of their offensive zone time. Blake was the only linemate who hadn’t scored in this series entering Game 3, but that changed after defenseman K’Andre Miller found Blake near the net, beating a diving Ullmark for the eventual game-winning goal. If one play could sum up the Senators’ offense in Game 3, and maybe even throughout this series, look no further than Brady Tkachuk’s breakaway opportunity in the second period. Tkachuk tried to dangle the puck past Andersen, but the puck caught the netminder’s pad. The Ottawa captain, who has no points in this series, then skated to the bench and slammed the door in frustration. Even with Batherson scoring a goal in the second period, his second straight game finding the net, the Senators are still experiencing an offensive power outage. They have only scored three times in this series — tied with Stankoven. But their offensive woes are much more pronounced on the power play. Ottawa is now 0-for-12 on the man advantage in this series. The Senators had five power-play opportunities in the second, including a five-on-three, but could only muster four shots in the period. A frustrated crowd booed the team as it left the ice for the second intermission. By game’s end, the Senators were held to 21 shots on goal. They spent too much time trying to craft the perfect play and not enough firing the puck. It gave the Canes defense more than enough to set up, and use their sticks to break up plays and create turnovers. Meanwhile, Tkachuk and Tim Stützle have been held pointless in three straight games to start the series. Two of the Senators’ best offensive players have earned their chances, but have been unable to convert. And on Thursday, the duo were limited to three shots combined. Tkachuk, for his troubles, nearly got called for a major penalty for spearing, but a review downgraded it to a minor penalty. For the third straight game, Tkachuk found himself in the penalty box. The Senators couldn’t even enjoy having Tyler Kleven available for one game. Not without their best defenseman leaving partway through it. It had already been a tough second period for Sanderson after he took an illegal check in the head from Hall less than five minutes in. But then the Olympic gold medalist blocked a Blake shot with his left hand after dropping to his left knee to defend it. Sanderson left the ice and did not return. Sanderson’s absence looms large after top-pair partner Artem Zub was injured in Game 1, leaving after delivering a hit on Canes forward Seth Jarvis. Zub hasn’t skated with his teammates since. Sanderson, meanwhile, has arguably been the best skater on the ice for the Senators throughout the series, playing over 43 minutes in the Sens’ double-overtime loss to Carolina in Game 2 and registering two assists. Earlier in the day, the Senators received good news with Kleven returning to the lineup after taking a puck to the face that caused him to miss three weeks of action. It took little time for Kleven to get his bearings as he slammed Canes forward Eric Robinson into the Senators’ bench during his first shift, drawing rousing roars from the Ottawa faithful. However, Kleven was late to cover Stankoven on the game’s opening goal, losing him on the back door as Hall circled around the net with the puck. Kleven played 18:13 in the loss, paired with Cameron Crotty, the little-used Ottawa native who made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 3 and skated 8:59. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms