Andersen stops 22, Hurricanes blank Senators in Game 1 of Eastern 1st Round

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Frederik Andersen made 22 saves, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators 2-0 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Lenovo Center on Saturday.

It was Andersen’s sixth career shutout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall each had a goal and an assist, and Jackson Blake had two assists for the Hurricanes, the top seed in the East.

“We were on our game, but they were too,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think most of the opportunities were on the power plays. That’s where the goalies really had to shine.”

Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Senators, the second wild card from the East.

“Tight-checking game. Not a lot of space for either team,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “(Carolina) probably deserved to win, analytically, and they did."

Game 2 is at Lenovo Center on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, ESPN2, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC).

“I thought we played a really solid game,” Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said. “There weren’t many chances on both sides of the puck there. Two good bounces for them end up in the back of the net.

“They’re always on top of you. They’re always in the right spots and you can see that they blocked a lot of shots, especially at the end, but all game they’re sacrificing their bodies.”

Stankoven gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 2:11 of the second period. Blake took a backhand feed from Hall and made a touch pass to Stankoven, who scored on a snap shot that slipped under Ullmark’s left pad. The play started when Alexander Nikishin held in a clearing attempt on his backhand.

“I think (we) just provide some secondary scoring for our team,” Stankoven said. “Since the (Winter Olympics), our line has been clicking pretty good. We’ve been able to find each other. We’re all hungry to track pucks. We’re not afraid to go to the net.”

Stankoven closed the regular season with 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in an eight-game point streak.

“I think he’s played great all year,” Brind’Amour said. “If you watch every game, he looks like one of the better players every night. He just didn’t cash in for a stretch. It’s just kind of the law of averages.”

The Senators appeared to tie the game at 3:54 of the third period when Drake Batherson tried to jam the puck past Andersen, but the goal was overturned. The play was initially ruled a goal on the ice, but video review determined the puck did not cross the goal line after Andersen stopped it with his glove.

“I wasn’t sure. It happened so quick,” Batherson said. “The ref called it a goal, but I feel like you never know nowadays. I probably should have just put it in. It shouldn’t have got to that point.”

Andersen made another key save on the power play 25 seconds later, squeezing his pads on a Tkachuk redirect at the top of the crease.

Hall then extended it to 2-0 at 7:15 of the third period. Ullmark stopped Nikishin’s shot from the left circle, but the puck went over the goaltender's right shoulder and settled behind him, and Hall poked the puck into the net during a scramble.

“I saw the (Nikishin shot) and I felt like I got such a good piece of it that it was going to end up in front of me," Ullmark said. "All of a sudden, you feel people hit you from behind, you’re thinking, oh, it’s there. So you’re looking, unfortunately, the other way. That’s when they capitalized and got a gritty one.”

Carolina was under constant pressure in the final minutes, down two skaters after a delay of game penalty and Ottawa skating with the extra attacker after pulling Ullmark. The Hurricanes blocked four shots while Ottawa pressed for a goal with a 6-on-4 advantage.

“The blocked shots are huge this time of year,” Andersen said. “There’s breakdowns, it’s never a perfect game. But we kind of know when to sell out and help each other out. That’s going to be important coming next game and down the line every night.”

NOTES: Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub left the game after one shift in the second period and did not return. Green did not have an update. …  Andersen recorded his sixth career playoff shutout, moving into a tie for sixth most in NHL history by a goaltender born outside North America, behind Dominik Hasek (14), Henrik Lundqvist (10), Evgeni Nabokov (seven), Tuukka Rask (seven) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (seven). … The Hurricanes improved to 7-0 in their past seven postseason-opening contests dating to Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers. Carolina became the fifth team in NHL history with a run of that length, following the Montreal Canadiens (12-0 from 1951-1962), New York Islanders (10-0 from 1975-1984), San Jose Sharks (8-0 from 2011-2019) and St. Louis Blues (7-0 from 1995-2001).