Martinook's goal lifts Hurricanes
past Senators 3-2 in 2OT after he misses rare OT penalty shot
[April 21, 2026]
By AARON BEARD
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Martinook beat Linus Ullmark from the
slot at 13:53 of the second overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes
beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Monday night and take a 2-0 lead in
their first-round playoff series.
Martinook — who was stopped on a penalty shot in the first OT — kept
the winning play alive by chasing down a loose rebound toward the
boards to keep the possession in the offensive zone. Moments later,
Nikolaj Ehlers found Martinook between the circles to beat Ullmark,
who was partially shielded by Carolina captain Jordan Staal at the
top of the crease.
That set off a mob celebration by the Hurricanes around Martinook in
a corner of the ice, ending a game that saw them hang on despite
blowing a 2-0 lead and having an apparent winner by Mark Jankowski
waved off in the first overtime due to an offside call on review.
The Hurricanes still had a chance to win it after the overturned
goal, only for Ullmark to stop Martinook on the NHL's first OT
postseason penalty-shot attempt since 2020.
“I didn't feel very good about myself after that penalty shot, and
that intermission felt really long," Martinook said. “That was cool.
I'm happy it worked out that way. It didn't matter who scored, but
it was going to be a long night if that penalty shot came back to
bite me.”
The Eastern Conference's top seed managed to protect home-ice
advantage — barely — as the series moves to Canada’s capital for
Game 3 on Thursday.
“That’s the toughest thing: You have it won, a hard-fought game, and
then to have it turned over," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said.
"You’ve got to give the guys tons of credit, because our game didn’t
change. We actually got better, I think, in the second overtime.”
Logan Stankoven and Sebastian Aho also scored for Carolina, while
Frederik Andersen shook off giving up two second-period goals to
finish with 37 saves and multiple key stops late.
[to top of second column] |
Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook, second from right, celebrates
after his winning overtime goal with Sean Walker (26), Taylor Hall
(71) and K'andre Miller (19) following the second overtime of Game 2
of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the
Ottawa Senators in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP
Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens scored for Ottawa,
while Ullmark finished with 43 saves and was terrific all night. He
had multiple big stops in the second period, one when he extended
his glove to knock down a hammered one-timer from Taylor Hall as the
puck shifted cross-ice to his left side. Another came in the final
seconds of regulation when he got his left shoulder on Staal's shot
from the top of the crease.
“A hell of an effort,” Senators coach Travis Green
said. “Playoffs are hard sometimes. Some of the games you lose, they
sting. This one's going to sting.”
The Hurricanes appeared to have pushed through late in the first OT,
with Jankowski skating in to pounce on a loose rebound and beat
Ullmark on the left side with 2:42 left to send the home crowd into
a frenzy. But officials reviewed the sequence and determined that
Staal didn’t have possession and control of the puck as he entered
the zone, coming as Martinook skated through the middle across the
blue line for a 1-on-1 chance on Ullmark.
That sequence ultimately led to a hooking penalty on Warren Foegele,
with Carolina scrambling an extra attacker and getting Jankowski’s
offside-overturned score and then Martinook's penalty shot.
“Hockey’s crazy, sports are crazy,” Martinook said. “Being able to
score after that, I’ll tell my grandkids about that one, that’s for
sure.”
The Senators played without defenseman Artem Zub, who left Game 1
with an undisclosed injury. He had been considered a game-time
decision.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
