RALEIGH, N.C. — There was no hiding the frustration and disappointment among the Ottawa Senators moments after a heartbreaking overtime loss in a building they had come so close to silencing on multiple occasions.
Veteran forward Claude Giroux scowled as he walked past the media horde waiting to enter the visiting dressing room, heading to an exercise area to cool down. When the Senators’ best players took questions, disappointment and fatigue dripped from their voices. As Drake Batherson answered questions, a loud “f—!” rang out from a nearby room. Even Senators GM Steve Staios was in no mood, walking down the Lenovo Center hallway toward the exits so he could board a team bus to the airport.
“Obviously, it sucks,” Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said postgame after his team lost 3-2 in a four-hour, double-overtime game against the Carolina Hurricanes. “But we’ve got a really important game in front of our fans that are going to be fired up and give us a lot of momentum.
“Of course, (we’re) going to be pretty unhappy about it. But we’re going to move on eventually and get ready for Game 3.”
For the second straight year, the Senators are facing a 2-0 deficit in an opening-round playoff series. Last year, the Tkachuk-led core was mostly new to the playoffs and still appeared confident they could turn things around against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This year, the belief is there, somewhere. But the Sens sound more somber this time around, dwelling on a lost opportunity to split the series.
The game was an emotional battle in which the Senators had their chances and nearly lost in the first overtime on an overturned goal-turned-penalty shot. The Senators ultimately couldn’t get the better of Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, who made 37 saves but also had his posts and crossbars to thank.
“I think we had a lot of good looks,” Senators forward Dylan Cozens said. “A lot of chances to put that one away. It hurts right now. But we’ve just got to move on and get ready for the next one.”
The Senators really could’ve used that victory, for obvious reasons. But let’s not forget that their defense is still hurting.
Tyler Kleven is working back to the lineup after taking a puck to the face earlier this month. But the Senators are now also without Artem Zub, who collided with Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis in Game 1 and hasn’t returned since. And Nick Jensen won’t be back in the lineup any time soon.
Depth options like Nikolas Matinpalo, Dennis Gilbert and Lassi Thomson have seen more ice time as a result. But the Senators will still lean on their tried-and-true defenders, which explains why Jake Sanderson led all skaters in ice time at 43:06. Thomas Chabot followed that total by playing 40:50.
Most frustrating of all is that Linus Ullmark is playing at his absolute best for the Senators. His postseason numbers haven’t always been great, and some early-season performances didn’t always instill confidence. But he’s looked like the Senators’ best player through two games.
On Monday, Ullmark made 43 saves — his most ever in a playoff game — in a losing effort. That includes the penalty shot he saved to keep the Senators alive moments after seemingly losing on a Mark Jankowski game-winner in overtime before it was erased from the history books.
Ullmark’s best save was with his glove on a one-time shot from Canes forward Taylor Hall. After initially snagging it, the puck nearly crawled behind Ullmark, but he quickly retrieved it from the goal line. Ullmark made the save when his team was down 2-0 in the second. It spurred his teammates on.
“He was great,” Batherson said. “It could’ve been easily 3 or 4-0. He keeps us in it, and we were able to tie it up. He’s been playing awesome. (He) keeps us in it with the penalty shot. I’ve got nothing but good things to say.”
“We can do a better job for him back there,” Cozens said. “And helping limit some of those looks (on him).”
Linus Ullmark has played like the Senators’ best player through two games in this series. (Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Both the Sens and Hurricanes might have enjoyed more stickhandling room in a phone booth than they did against each other during Game 1. This game was visibly more free-flowing and open, and the Senators worked to match the Hurricanes’ intensity. As a result, they had a handful of quality chances that could’ve — even should’ve — bested Andersen.
“I think they simplified their game a bit,” Canes hero Jordan Martinook, who scored the eventual double-overtime winner, said after the game. “They were just putting pucks in (the zone) and forechecking, and we knew that that’s the type of team they are. You know what each team’s bringing, and I think they got to what they do a little better tonight.”
Even with injuries on the back end, the Senators had enough going to win, which would’ve galvanized the group ahead of Game 3 on Thursday night. But instead, the Senators have to overcome a two-game deficit. The Sens are home for the next two games, knowing they want no part of another 3-0 series deficit like they faced last year. But that’s after they lick their wounds from losing a chance steal momentum against the East’s best seed in the Hurricanes, who also happen to be 10-2 all-time in series where they leads 2-0.
“The confidence and the belief is still the highest you could possibly get,” Tkachuk said. “We’ve shown we can hang in there. Of course, (we) don’t like both the results, but I mean the confidence and the belief that I have in my teammates and we have each other as high as it’s ever been.”
The Senators have two more days to foster that belief and take a game in this series, working their way back from behind.