Stankoven scores again, Hurricanes down Senators to complete four-game sweep

The Ottawa Senators have been swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Logan Stankoven the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated Ottawa 4-2 to win the teams' first-round series 4-0.

Taylor Hall added a goal and an assist before Sebastian Aho buried two pucks into the empty net for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Frederik Andersen made 25 saves. Seth Jarvis chipped in two assists.

Drake Batherson, with a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens replied for the Senators, who put up just five times in four games and never led against the Hurricanes. Linus Ullmark stopped 26 shots. Rookie defenceman 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 post-season tournament before eventually falling in six games.

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

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

Aho scored into the empty before Cozens made it 3-2 with 1:51 left on the clock. Aho then sealed the series for good with another empty netter.

Carolina took the first two contests at home in the best-of-seven matchup — 2-0 and 3-2 in double-overtime — before grinding out a 2-1 victory in Game 3.