Carolina Hurricanes’ Penalty Kills Senators’ Power – Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

If I told you that the Carolina Hurricanes’ penalty kill was amazing and contributed greatly to their success, you could pick any of the team’s last eight playoff appearances and be given reason to guess that’s what I was referring to. It has been the cornerstone of the Hurricanes’ success for almost a decade, and the 2026 postseason was no exception, as they went 20 of 21 shorthanded against the Ottawa Senators in the first round sweep, including killing three different five-of-three opportunities in the decisive Game 4.

What you may not fully understand is that the Hurricanes penalty kill was not only spectacular; it was very successful in the Senator’s power play. Yes, of course. You can’t kill 20 out of 21 penalties if you don’t do better than the opposition. They were the better team, often looked the more dangerous team, and it was one of the deciding factors in the series. However, I don’t think people understand how good it was.

Basic Mathematics

The Hurricanes’ penalty kill was nearly perfect, killing 95.2% of the Senators’ power plays. Only the Boston Bruins have a better penalty kill this postseason because they are 100% efficient. Statistically, that means Ottawa’s power play clicked at 4.8%. The Hurricanes also killed off four different five-for-three opportunities throughout the series, and those were key turning points in later games. They gave Carolina a platform to build on.

Carolina gave up a power play goal to Drake Batherson in Game 4, their first offense. However, in Game 2, the killers of the Hurricanes scored a goal when Sean Walker jumped out of the penalty box. It’s one of those where it’s not technically the shortest goal, but it makes sense. Walker was not in the game because he was coming out of the box as the clock ran out. If you call that an illegal short field goal, the penalty killers were neutral in the production chain.

Analytical Performance

We can go further. Teams with an extra skater, or two, should control scoring chances. Especially in the postseason, the power play should at least generate momentum if not goals. Against Carolina, Ottawa’s man advantage had a 3.17 expected goals for (xGF), according to Natural Stat Trick. Carolina’s penalty killers had an xGF of 1.05, meaning they produced a quarter of the goals expected on Ottawa’s power play series despite being down at least one player and sometimes two.

The expected goals percentage (xGF%) of Carolina’s penalty killers was 24.82, the best offensive kill in the playoffs yet. The Hurricanes gave up 21 shots on the penalty kill while taking nine, giving them a 30% shot share on the penalty kill. If these numbers sound ridiculous to a team that has dropped at least one player, they are. However, this is nothing new for short Hurricanes teams. They have done well all season.

Regular Season Achievement

Carolina’s penalty kill had 25.28% of the shots this season when killing penalties. That means that for every four shots the opponent has, Carolina also had one. Carolina’s penalty kill also had an xGF% of 18.52. Both of those numbers were far and away the best of any team in the regular season. Carolina’s penalty kill was a striking contrast to that, standing out despite the low scoring.

Carolina led the league in shorthanded goals with 12, but their kills were just 11 overall. Don’t be fooled by that, because their goals against (xGA) total while shorthanded was the second best in the NHL. Carolina is a shorthanded beast, and they will take a step forward in the playoffs if the games mean the most.

If the Hurricanes are going to make a deep postseason run, they must continue their short reign. You know the Hurricanes are comfortable when the “power kills” start flowing, and that might be what kicks Carolina into gear if they get off to a slow start. So far, the signs are promising, but it must continue if the Hurricanes wish to capture the Stanley Cup. Can they sustain their short best performance? There is no reason to doubt it.