senators 4, maple leafs 0

Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the first playoff shutout of his career as the Ottawa Senators edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 on Tuesday night to cut the deficit in the teams’ first-round series to 3-2.

Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens gave the Senators a 2-0 lead before Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk added empty-net goals for Ottawa, which once again staved off elimination after picking up a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 4 at home Saturday. Tkachuk and Stutzle added two assists each for three-point performances.

Anthony Stolarz stopped 15 shots for the Leafs.

Only four NHL teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series — the 1942 Leafs, 1975 Islanders, the 2010 Flyers and the 2014 Kings.

Game 6 is Thursday in Ottawa.

Toronto, which beat Ottawa four times in a five-playoff span in the early 2000s, dropped to 1-13 in potential series-clinching games in the Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner era dating back to the 2018 playoffs. That lone victory came in a first-round triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago.

hurricanes 5, devils 4, 2ot

Sebastian Aho hammered a one-timer past Jacob Markstrom at 4:17 of the second overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 5-4 on Tuesday night to clinch their first-round playoff series.

The score came with the Hurricanes on a four-minute power play on a double-minor high-sticking penalty by Dawson Mercer that sent Jesperi Kotkaniemi skating off to the tunnel with a towel to his face. Aho provided the capper, the only lead the Hurricanes would have in a wild game that pushed them into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They’ll next play the winner of the Montreal-Washington series, with the Capitals leading 3-1 in that one.

Carolina won this game despite falling behind 3-0 in the first 10 minutes.