Hurricanes sweep Senators to become first team to advance

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Logan Stankoven scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated Ottawa 4-2 to sweep the first-round series.

Taylor Hall added a goal and an assist before Sebastian Aho buried two pucks into the empty net. Frederik Andersen made 25 saves. AndSeth Jarvis chipped in two assists for the first NHL team to advance into Round 2.

Drake Batherson, with a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens replied for the Senators, who put up just five goals in four games and never led against the Hurricanes. Linus Ullmark stopped 26 shots. Rookie defenseman Carter Yakemchuk added two assists in his playoff debut.

Of the 213 NHL teams to fall behind 3-0 in a seven-game series, just four have come all the way back to win -- the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1980 New York Islanders, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

Ottawa also trailed last spring's first-round matchup with Toronto 3-0 after seven years outside the postseason tournament before eventually falling in six games.

"We probably played a lot better than last year, and even though we lost four in a row, it's a different series," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "I think we've taken a lot of steps this year to really having a lot of belief that we're a lot closer than we were."

Stankoven scored his fourth goal in as many games at 9:10 of the final period on a power play off a rebound from the end boards.

"I'm really proud of the group for the way they played for four games. You're up three-nothing, and the tendency -- human nature -- is maybe to not put the whole foot on the gas," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "But our first period was great. We came out like, 'We want to finish this.' And we had to, to play against that team. You're not going to win if you didn't come with that attitude. And I thought we were able to do that for all four games."

Batherson came close to equalizing again with six minutes to go before Carolina was whistled for too many men. But Ottawa's anemic power play again couldn't generate any quality looks against a high-pressure penalty kill.

Aho scored into the empty net before Cozens made it 3-2 with 1:49 left on the clock. Aho then sealed the series for good with another empty-netter before racing, at the end of regulation, to congratulate his goaltender.

"You can't understate that, especially when you consider how well the other guy was playing in their end," Brind'Amour said of Andersen. "It was a goalie matchup, and they were going save for save. And we needed it, right? Otherwise, this thing could look a lot different.

"Freddie, it's probably the best hockey he's played for us since being a Hurricane."

Carolina opened the scoring in a physical, nasty second period when Hall beat Ullmark through the five-hole at 15:15 after Mark Jankowski made a big shot block at the other end.

Ottawa's power play -- 0-for-12 in the series entering play and without much going Saturday -- finally broke through when Batherson tipped a Tim Stutzle one-timer, igniting the crowd.

"It's heartbreaking. You come in, you just want to win a Stanley Cup," Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said as he teared up. "Everyone believed that in here. For it to be this tight of a series and not go our way in every game, it's really tough."

Emotions boiled over earlier in the period after Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven crushed Hurricanes counterpart Alexander Nikishin with a huge hit that left Nikishin dazed and needing help off the ice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.br/]