Sens Lose 3-2 to Hurricanes in Overtime After Failed Comeback

It can be hard to find meaning in games this late in the regular season, with the playoff spots mostly decided. The Sens may technically still be playing "meaningful games," but I'll be honest: these last few games haven't felt very meaningful. With that said, there's always one big upside to the games becoming less meaningful, and that's young players getting a shot at the NHL.

The Carolina Hurricanes are not a team any goaltender would want to face for their first NHL start, but Leevi Meriläinen did pretty much everything that could have been asked of him. It's too bad the Sens couldn't get him a win.

First Period

The game started pretty much the way you’d expect it to: with the Hurricanes outshooting the Sens by a lot, and promptly scoring the first goal of the game. 1-0 Carolina.

The first big Sens highlight of the game was a huge stop by Meriläinen on Brent Burns. Lovely.

Thankfully, the Sens soon remembered how to play hockey and started to catch up in shots on goal, managing a few good chances that didn’t really have a good chance of getting past Raanta.

Things were just starting to look up for Ottawa when Patrick Brown was hauled down and subsequently assessed a double minor for high-sticking the guy who had just hauled him down. Giving up a powerplay goal on what shouldn’t have been a powerplay is one of the worst ways to give up a goal, so of course that’s exactly what happened right before time expired on the man advantage for Carolina. 2-0 Carolina.

When DJ Smith challenged the goal for a high stick, it kind of felt like him just being mad at the refs, and sure enough, the challenge failed. The Sens killed off that penalty, then failed to score on their own powerplay late in the period.

Second Period

The makeup call came right at the start of the second frame, but the Sens didn’t manage to do anything with it. Still, they looked good, and it felt like the game was opening up a bit, with the Sens getting lots of chances off the rush and occasionally managing to set up a cycle. Mostly when one particular line was on the ice. You know the one.

It was Giroux who finally broke through, burying a great feed from Alex DeBrincat. 2-1 Carolina.

That was career point number 996, by the way, for those keeping score from home.

Greig soon followed up by batting the puck into the net with his glove. The goal was instantly waved off, but the Sens were clearly buzzing. Kind of.

A mostly good period for the Sens was, of course, capped off with more strange reffing. Giroux went to the box for hooking with just over a minute left, and then Sanderson got penalized for a Hurricanes player shooting the puck over the glass. Look, giving the Hurricanes a 2 man advantage is one thing, but I draw the line at messing with Jake Sanderson’s incredible penalty differential. The man has a reputation (as one of the only non-rabble rousers on the Sens) to maintain.

Third Period

As expected, the Sens got another makeup call at the beginning of the final period, and this time it worked. It was a great display of teamwork, as just about everyone on the powerplay unit touched the puck before Brady Tkachuk tipped it in for a very satisfying goal. 2-2.

The Sens kept pace with Carolina very nicely for the rest of the game, and their rookie goaltender made all the stops he needed to. Obviously, the Hurricanes don't have much to play for at this point in the season, but it was still nice to see the Sens play so well against one of the top teams in the league, especially since they weren't just getting chances off the rush - they were actually holding on to the puck, which is difficult to do against this team.

The Hurricanes put a lot of pressure on the Sens in the final minutes of the game, giving Meriläinen a chance to play the hero, as they held on until overtime.

Overtime

The extra time was nothing short of a disaster. Ottawa only held on for so long because of good goaltending and better puck luck. In the end, it wasn't enough, and the Hurricanes got the extra point.

Notable Performances

• This game showed us why Ridly Greig never should have been sent down to the AHL. The kid is so skilled and so strong on the puck.
• Alex DeBrincat deserves praise for his work on both Sens goals
• That was a really solid debut for Leevi Meriläinen, against a very good team. Can't fault him on any of those goals, and he showed up when he needed to.

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