Down 2-0, the Senators’ Offensive Game Plan Has Not Worked – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

Despite a better performance from the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 Monday night, they could not bury the winner beyond 60 minutes. The Carolina Hurricanes did with Jordan Martinook ripping it upstairs deep into double overtime to seal a 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead for his squad. It is the second straight year in which the Senators have dropped the first two games of their opening round series, and some bad luck has been one of the main culprits as to why.

From not being able to put it past a heroic Frederik Andersen late in Game 1 to three loose pucks getting saved off the goal line in the first nine minutes of Game 2, Ottawa just could not buy one for the first 90-plus minutes of the series. After some bad bounces, their first marker off Drake Batherson’s stick came after a cross-seam pass came back to him off Jaccob Slavin’s skate, while Dylan Cozens‘ game-tying goal was a stoppable shot from the corner that went through Andersen. Just when some luck went their way to get back in it, fortunes shifted against Ottawa once again with Tim Stutzle and Michael Amadio each hitting the post in overtime before the eventual dagger. 

Even with pushing Carolina to almost 94 minutes of hockey Monday night, the Senators’ inability to finish cost them in the end. Believe it or not, they are right behind Carolina in expected goals for (xGF) with 5.54, per MoneyPuck – they have two in as many games. It not only shows there is work to be done offensively if Ottawa wants to rally off four of the next five, but that the Hurricanes are beating them in a couple of under looked areas right now.

Not Enough Shots – From Anywhere

Per NHL Edge, both teams have fairly even high-danger shots from around the net front (21-17 Hurricanes), but when it comes to mid-range attempts – mainly slot shots – Ottawa is getting outshot by Carolina 26-12. Only having three shots from the middle of the ice compared to Carolina’s eight indicates that these bids are either getting blocked or missing the net. From a Senators standpoint, they have had 26.98% of their shot attempts get blocked and 45.65% of them missing the net.

In terms of actually getting shots on goal, the Senators might be averaging 30.5 a game, but have not registered many in the first 40 minutes of each of the first two contests. They have 21 total shots in the third period in the series so far, compared to 25 shots between the first and second combined in each contest. Yes, Ottawa finished with 39 shots Monday, but 15 of them came in both overtimes. Accounting for regulation, they finished with 22 in Game 1 and 24 in Game 2 – 46 in a two-game total.

The Hurricanes, on the other hand, have 65 shots in regulation through two games while averaging a plus-9 shot differential over their opponent. They have gotten their success not so much from drives from the point, but from just about every forward up front. With drive and grit from all four lines, the Hurricanes’ forwards were able to skate at will for most of Game 1 and the first half of Game 2, generating slot shots that way.
 
Their most successful line to this point: Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, who have all been around it to start this series with nine points combined between the three. A prime example of a forward group that doesn’t have too much size, as none of the three are over 6-foot-2, but carry energy and drive in their game. Not to say that Ottawa is lacking in drive or hunger, but Carolina’s pace is giving them trouble at both ends of the ice so far.

Net Front – Unlucky or Outmatched?

Per Sportsnet Stats, Ottawa led the league with 34 goals within five feet of the attacking net during the regular season. Within 10 feet, they also had a league-leading 108 tucks. Yes, Batherson’s goal in Game 2 came in close quarters, but the Senators had many chances beforehand in the Carolina crease. With a 6-2 shot advantage from inside the crease, the Senators are getting their looks there, but either cannot finish or are being outworked in those dirty areas.

The Senators have succeeded in doing the dirty work in front of the net#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/ocaBbUAXU1

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 15, 2026

This has been especially apparent on their power plays, where they have not scored on seven attempts. The Hurricanes, who finished the regular season 11^th on the penalty kill at 80.5%, carry a box structure that keeps opponents out high at five-on-four. At times, Ottawa has been able to counter this, particularly in Game 1, with one pass – usually quick movement from low-to-high or cross-seam feeds – creating space in front of the net.
 
Yet, despite getting guys open in front, they are either checked at the last second or denied by a desperate Andersen, who has a .078 goals-against average (GAA) through two games. A team that’s bread and butter has been driving the net and winning the battles from just outside the crease all season is just having a rough time breaking through there, with a combination of Carolina’s structure and their own doing.

Other Than Game 2 Shuffling, What Needs to Change?

There aren’t a lot of options to change defensively with Artem Zub and Tyler Kleven still out. Some in-game changes have already been made on the blue line, mainly Jordan Spence taking shifts with Jake Sanderson on the top pair since the second period of Game 2. Averaging an expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) of 0.72, they have been Ottawa’s best pairing for five-on-five defence, and the rest of the d-core seemed to do a better job of closing gaps and keeping the Hurricanes’ chances to the outside since that change, as head coach Travis Green highlighted Wednesday morning.

But what about up front? All of the Sens’ forward lines finished strong in the regular season, and also play great defence, but have each struggled to put one in the net. Stutzle, who led the team in goals and points in the regular season, is yet to get on the board, and he, Batherson and Claude Giroux have already been separated after averaging an xGF/60 of 1.68. Aside from their third line of Amadio, Warren Foegele and Shane Pinto, who have by far been their best defensive line analytically, what else should be done about the top-six?

Just for the sake of winning battles in front and creating shot lanes, perhaps the best thing the Senators can do for now is go with as close to a power forward-playmaker-sniper combination as they can get for their top two lines. Keeping the pesky Brady Tkachuk and the crafty Stutzle together is a start, but perhaps moving the playmaking veteran Giroux up with those two and dropping Batherson to the second group of Cozens and Ridly Greig is an option. Greig and Cozens are already feisty and determined on their own, but pairing more of an offensive mind in Batherson with them could get the second line going and spread the depth out.

As coach Green stated after Wednesday’s practice, “all options are on the table.”

Heading back to the Canadian Tire Centre, where they had 23 wins in the regular season, the Sens can at least get out of Raleigh for the next two games. The Hurricanes were the league’s best home team in the regular season with a 29-10-2 record from Lenovo Center, per StatMuse, so perhaps changing locations can also change momentum.

If Ottawa does want to turn things around, they will have to get results sooner rather than later and avoid falling into an even deeper hole against a tough Hurricanes squad. The Senators have never won a series when trailing 2-0 – they are 0-10 all-time in series after dropping the first two games.