The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t just eliminate the Ottawa Senators, they appeared to enjoy every second of reminding them about it.
After completing a first-round sweep with a 4-2 win in Game 4 at Canadian Tire Centre, Carolina became the first team to punch its ticket to Round 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the celebration didn’t stop on the ice. It quickly spilled onto social media.
Hurricanes Troll Senators After Clean Sweep
Carolina controlled the series from start to finish, winning Game 1 2-0, surviving a double-overtime thriller in Game 2 by a 3-2 score, edging Ottawa 2-1 in Game 3, and closing it out with Saturday’s 4-2 victory.
In the process, the Hurricanes made history, becoming just the 20th team in NHL history to go through an entire best-of-seven series without trailing at any point.
Then came the online victory lap. The Hurricanes’ official X account wasted little time taking playful shots at Ottawa, and fans quickly noticed. One of the boldest posts featured a mock Wikipedia-style image jokingly listing Logan Stankoven as owner of the Senators instead of Michael Andlauer, captioned simply: “Stankdaddy.” Stankoven tormented Ottawa all series, piling up four goals and an assist while playing a major role in the sweep.
Another post twisted the knife further: “Games Ottawa won: zero. Minutes we trailed: zero”.
Then there was perhaps the sharpest jab of all. “Capital punishment,” the Hurricanes posted, a play on Ottawa being Canada’s capital while celebrating becoming the first team this postseason to complete a series without ever trailing.
Carolina even worked head coach Rod Brind’Amour into the trolling. Posting a photo of Brind’Amour, who was born in Ottawa, the team wrote: “The best thing to come out of Ottawa is this guy.”
It was ruthless. It was funny. And for Senators fans, probably painful. For Carolina, though, it was the swagger of a team rolling into the Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Hurricanes now march forward brimming with confidence and await the winner of the Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers series.
“Just trying to stick together and don’t want to cross the line too much, but just be there for each other. I thought we did a good job for the most part, just handling our emotions. It’s nice to contribute individually, and our line’s been good,” Stankoven said of the series win.
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As for Ottawa and captain Brady Tkachuk, the offseason begins with questions, and after Carolina’s all-out social media blitz, maybe a little extra motivation, too.
