Senators' Linus Ullmark shuts out Hurricanes 3-0 – Hockey Writers – NHL News

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Ottawa Senators on Friday, December 13, at the Lenovo Center for the second time in the 2024-25 season. The last time these two teams met was on November 16, when the Hurricanes shut out the Senators 4-0 with a Spencer Martin masterclass. In the second of three meetings this season, the Hurricanes lost to the Senators 3-0 for their second loss of the season.

Who stood out in the game featuring the two biggest network owners of Pyotr Kochetkov and Linus Ullmark?

Recap of the game

In the first half the home team had more chances with two power play opportunities. While they went zero-for-two, they saw few chances from Seth Jarvis who was on top of the Senators defense, especially Ullmark. The Hurricanes had 10 shots on goal with seven scoring chances while allowing the visitors only four scoring chances on six goals. It was a routine play where defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere stepped on a Senators player and sent him back on a slide in the neutral zone.

While the first half remained scoreless, it was a tight game between the two sides with the Storm having little edge in man advantage opportunities and shots on goal. Both netizens stood tall when needed.

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In the second half, the Senators outshot the Hurricanes 11-9 but took a 1-0 lead after Shane Pinto's goal. He scored 4:04 into the half after the home team had not conceded after Pinto fired a shot past Kochetkov over his glove. It looked like the Russian netminder didn't see the puck, but there was nothing he could do there with a few bad clear attempts. Gostisbehere was excellent all night as he had every opportunity for the Hurricanes. He was the most notable player on both sides with the exception of Ullmark. The Hurricanes still outshot the Senators 19-17 after 40 minutes and were down just one goal in the third period.

Going into the third period it looked like the Hurricanes were poised to score an equaliser. However, the Senators had other plans as Nick Jensen hit Kochetkov between the legs seconds after the Hurricanes penalty killers killed an interference penalty. It was 2-0 until 46 seconds left in the game when Pinto scored an empty net goal, the second of the night, to make it a 3-0 game. In the end, the visitors won thanks to a 32-game shutout performance by Ullmark. Kochetkov played a solid game making 19 of 21 stops despite giving up two goals in net.

The loss puts the Hurricanes at 18-10-1, while the Senators move to 14-13-2 with the win.

The schedule doesn't stop

The Hurricanes next game is at Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 5pm Eastern as they look to get back in the win column. As for the Senators, their next game is Saturday, December 14 as they return home for the second game in a row against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The puck drop for both teams is scheduled for 7pm Eastern in the Canadian Capital.