Rod Brind'Amour left Ottawa with a grin and a 3-0 series lead. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 in Game 3 on the back of goals from Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven, while Frederik Andersen stopped 21 shots to keep the visitors in command.
Brind'Amour said after the game that the penalty kill was really good for his team, and he pointed to the 5v3 as a major turning point or at least something that could have become one. He said Jordan Staal and Jaccob Slavin were huge on that kill, while Andersen was solid and a calming influence behind them.
The coach also singled out the second line, saying it has been really special and has been contributing and putting goals up for the Hurricanes. On Stankoven, Brind'Amour said the chances have been there all year even when the puck was not going in, and that the timing of the finish felt right.
Carolina's start mattered too. Brind'Amour said the Hurricanes got going early, scoring first and forcing Ottawa to chase. When the Senators responded and the building erupted, he said the quick answer was huge for his team because it stopped the home crowd from turning the night completely.
The game also featured a major penalty review that Brind'Amour said was handled correctly after officials determined it was not a five-minute major. He said he has pushed for penalty review for about eight years and liked that the call was right in the end, even if the night had been full of whistles and long stretches without rhythm. The Hurricanes, he said, simply kept playing hard and getting help from everyone on the bench.
That is where the series stands now: Carolina has taken control, Ottawa needs a reversal no team has produced yet, and the Hurricanes can finish the job the next time they step on the ice.