On a cold January night, Taylor Hall got the call that he had been traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to […]
On a cold January night, Taylor Hall got the call that he had been traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup contender down south. Exactly one year later, on an even colder January night, he had two very different types of highlight moments.
Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes (32-15-5) won 4-1 in a tough match against the Ottawa Senators (23-21-7). Despite the score, Saturday was not a masterclass on how to win at hockey. The Hurricanes, for all intents and purposes, squeezed a fresh victory out of a sour lemon. A rarity, they were outshot by the Senators, who nearly doubled them 36-19.
Carolina had an explosion of scoring in the early frame as the first, second, and fourth lines found the twine thanks to William Carrier, Seth Jarvis, and Hall.
A fourth goal came for Carolina when Andrei Svechnikov potted it during a two-man advantage in the second period, but the game was otherwise flat for the Hurricanes.
“They carried play well, and they played hard, they finished checks all night, they made it hard on us,” Hall said after the game. “And, you know, I don’t know if it’s the schedule or whatever, but we didn’t have that energy to match it.”
The Hurricanes faced 34 hits in the game. It was the most they’d been dealt this season since November 26th’s loss to the New York Rangers.
Hall was certainly noticed by referee Jon McIsaac after receiving one of those hits.
Understandably unhappy after a dangerous boarding from Dylan Cozens went without a whistle, Hall shared a few choice words with the referee. He was subsequently given his first game misconduct since March 2021.
Taylor Hall was shoved face first into the boards by Dylan Cozens, yet he was the one given a ten-minute game misconduct 👀#CarolinaCulture#Sens#NHLpic.twitter.com/TI35PPaV8b
— Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) January 25, 2026
Look For the Bright Spots!
Two great positives of the game, aside from the win, were special teams and goaltending. The Hurricanes went four-for-four on the penalty kill (which they’ve struggled with this season) and one-for-four on the power play. Meanwhile, netminder Brandon Bussi made 35 saves – the second most in his NHL career – which gave him a .972 save percentage on the night.
“Some nights, you need to get bailed out,” Hall said. “Some nights, you win games that, you know, maybe you shouldn’t, but I feel like it all evens out in the end.”
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