Senators shut down Hurricanes for 3-0 shutout win

The Ottawa Senators were able to come away with a big 3-0 win on the road Friday night in Raleigh. Depth scoring and a solid night from Linus Ullmark helped seal the victory against the Carolina Hurricanes from the Lenovo Center.

There was a very good flow to the early portion of the contest. Both teams had zone time creating chances throughout the first and it was the Sens penalty kill which came up big in the opening frame as well. Two kills against the Hurricanes’ third ranked power play in the NHL, with good pressure in all areas of the ice, not allowing clean zone entries. It remained scoreless through 20 minutes of play.

"Our commitment to checking and play away from the puck was big and that is something we have talked about a lot," explained head coach Travis Green following the win. "We've talked about how you play with the lead and the last thing we want to do is just sit back and defend because we want to be aggressive but also smart.

It was a tight checking start to the second before the third line was able to go to work. Forcing a turnover in the offensive zone leading to Shane Pinto’s second of the season at 15:56 of the second period. A big goal for Pinto to get the monkey off his back, his first goal since the home opener on October 10^th snapping a 19-game goal drought. The Sens were able to survive a late Hurricane push with Linus Ullmark making some large saves as the Sens held a lead through 2 periods of play.

The Sens were able to instil their forecheck in the third to shut down any rush chances coming from Carolina. When they did have a chance, it was once again Ullmark standing strong. The third line was also able to come through again with Nick Cousins setting up Nick Jensen for his second of the season to give the Sens a two-goal lead with 5:15 to go in the third. Pinto would add another on the empty net in the late stages to seal the 3-0 victory in Raleigh on Friday. The shutout marks the fourth of the season for Ottawa netminders which leads the league.

A big win for the Sens who get back above .500 sitting at 14-13-2 so far on the season. Another strong performance from Linus Ullmark who collects his second shutout of the year, continuing his strong play as of late. It’s a quick turnaround for the Sens who face the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night in the final home game of 2024.