Looking to end a three-game road trip on a high note after stops in Nashville and Buffalo did not provide positive results, the Canes, unfortunately, did themselves no favors in the first period.
After they've struggled to produce a multitude of offense as of late, they surrendered two goals in the first 17:26 as a result of two defensive breakdowns. First, it was Claude Giroux serving as the beneficiary of a setup from linemates Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle. Then, before the end of the frame, Giroux was on the assisting end, allowing Stutzle to earn his 38th goal of the season.
The points were the 999th and 1000th of Giroux's career, bringing his teammates off the bench in celebration after the goal that gave their team a 2-0 lead.
Ottawa had plenty to celebrate at the end of 20 minutes, as the tallies were the only ones on the board and Carolina's offense had yet to produce anything threatening.
During the middle frame the Canes nearly went down 3-0, but thanks to Video Coach Chris Huffine, with an assist from Mike Brown, the crew successfully challenged a would-be Senators goal. And instead, the visitors would go on to claim the only tally of the 20-minute stretch.
With just 4:30 to go and the feeling that the offense was having another tough time creating quality chances, Brett Pesce injected a shot of life into his club.
Receiving a drop-off pass from Martin Necas following a zone entry, Pesce fired and beat Mads Sogaard to the glove side to bring his team within one.
Pesce's first goal since January 12 gave the Canes some hope as they returned to the ice for the third period, and that hope translated into a game-tying goal.
As the group remains in search of some sustained success on their man advantage, Brent Burns fit one through traffic to make it a 2-2 affair with 17:37 left to play.
