Frederik Andersen stopped all 22 shots he faced and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators 2-0 in the opening game of the first round.
Logan Stankoven scored the first goal of the game and added an assist on Taylor Hall’s insurance marker in the third period.
Linus Ullmark stopped 27 of 29 shots for Ottawa on the other side.
The Senators finished 0-for-4 on the power play, and Carolina’s defence – which led all teams in the NHL during the regular season with 23.9 shots allowed per game – allowed just 22 shots in a suffocating effort.
Andersen was especially effective late in the game with the Senators playing with an empty net and on a late power play, as he repelled two minutes of 6-on-4 action.
Carolina doubled their advantage at the 7:11 mark in the third frame, when Stankoven’s shot from distance struck Linus Ullmark in the shoulder and took a weird bounce, popped up and rolled down his side before Hall poked it into the net.
The Senators picked up their third power-play chance of the game early in the third period on an interference penalty by Jalen Chatfield.
Ottawa appeared to have their equalizer late in the advantage, as Drake Batherson swatted at the puck at the edge of the crease and the referees signaled a goal scored as it went into Andersen’s glove.
A replay revealed that the puck did not cross the goal line as the referee initially thought, and the goal was waived off, keeping the Hurricanes’ lead at one.
After a slow first period, the Hurricanes struck first quickly in the second, with Stankoven beating Ullmark from the slot to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Things got off to a hot start in the first period when Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves off the opening face-off and started a fight with Jordan Staal, with the two opposing captains duking it out to try to set the tone.
Ottawa is seeking its first playoff series victory since the 2017 playoffs, when the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games.