The Ottawa Senators find themselves on the brink of elimination after a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.
Carolina took control early once again, with Logan Stankoven scoring the opening goal for the third straight game just over five minutes in.
Ottawa responded with a second-period goal from Drake Batherson, but Jackson Blake restored the Hurricanes' lead late in the second period. The Senators struggled to generate consistent offense, particularly on special teams.
With one more win, the Hurricanes will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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The Senators, on the other hand, are once again facing a first-round exit. Last season they went down 3-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and ultimately lost in six games. Ottawa has not advanced past the first round since 2017, when it reached the conference finals.
After Thursday's loss, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk acknowledged the frustration inside the locker room as missed chances continued to pile up for Ottawa, although he refused to give up.
“Not out of it,” Brady said. “The hardest one to win is the fourth one. We were in this position last year, so for us it’s do or die, just give absolutely everything we have, which we always do.
"But no, I mean, it’s frustrating now, but (the) fourth one’s the hardest to win, and I believe in this group, so it’s going to make a hell of a story.”
Ottawa has scored just three goals in the series.
Things got even worse for the Senators and their postseason outlook on Thursday, as top defenseman Jake Sanderson exited the game after receiving a hit to the head from Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall.
The Senators now face a must-win Game 4 at home on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
