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Stankoven seals it as Hurricanes sweep Senators 4-0
Stankoven's PPG and a brace of empty-netters from Aho seal a 4-2 win as Carolina sweeps Ottawa to clinch the East first-round series.
Stankoven seals it as Hurricanes sweep Senators 4-0
The Carolina Hurricanes completed a first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators with a 4-2 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday. Logan Stankoven scored his fourth goal in four games — a third-period power-play tally — and Sebastian Aho added two empty-netters as the East's top seed advanced.
Hurricanes 4, Senators 2 | Periods: 0-0, 1-1, 1-3 | Goalies: Andersen (CAR) 25 saves, Ullmark (OTT) 26 saves | Series: CAR wins 4-0
Scoreless first sets a physical tone
Five penalties in the first period — including matching infractions on Brent Tkachuk and Sebastian Aho's brother that emptied the benches briefly — produced no goals. Andersen and Ullmark traded saves, and Carolina's structure suffocated Ottawa's transition rush.
Hall opens, Batherson answers on the power play
Taylor Hall broke the deadlock at 15:15 of the second period, finishing a Mark Jankowski feed from the left hash marks. Ottawa pushed back at 17 with Drake Batherson burying a power-play one-timer set up by Tim Stützle and Carter Yakemchuk to make it 1-1.
Stankoven seals it on the man advantage
Carolina capitalized at 9:10 of the third when K'Andre Miller's right-point shot caromed off the end boards to Stankoven at the left post. The 22-year-old finished from a sharp angle for his fourth goal of the series, putting Carolina up 2-1. "I think tonight was a good challenge for us," Stankoven said. "Just be there for each other."
Aho's empty-net brace closes the door
With Ullmark pulled, Aho fired into the empty net from his own end at 17:38. Cozens pulled one back at 18:09 off a Batherson-Giroux setup, but Aho found the empty cage again at 18:45 to make it 4-2 and end Ottawa's season. "We executed really well," Aho said. "We gave them no room."
Why it matters
Brind'Amour praised his veteran goalie: "Can't understate it. It's probably the best hockey he's played for us." Carolina's structure held all four games — they never trailed in the series. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk summed up the locker room: "It's heartbreaking. Give credit to them. They're a great team." Ottawa exits with a 1-for-21 power-play stat that defined the series. The Hurricanes wait, fully rested, for the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia winner.