Overview
- Carolina closed out a 4-0 first‑round sweep with a 4-2 victory in Ottawa on Saturday, becoming the first team to advance to Round 2 of the 2026 playoffs.
- Rookie Logan Stankoven scored the third‑period winner on the power play and opened his postseason with a franchise‑record four‑game goal streak.
- Ottawa’s power play sputtered at 1-for-9 in Game 4 and 1-for-21 in the series against a Hurricanes penalty kill that allowed one goal and operated near 95%.
- The series turned bruising after Taylor Hall’s Game 3 hit put Jake Sanderson in concussion protocol, and Game 4 saw Tyler Kleven level Alexander Nikishin and Ridly Greig throw a sucker‑punch in a melee.
- Sebastian Aho added two empty‑netters, Brady Tkachuk fought back tears after elimination, and Carolina, which never trailed in the series, now awaits its Round 2 opponent.