Captain Brady Tkachuk held pointless for fourth straight game as Senators get swept by Hurricanes

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Ridly Greig: B-

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Greig’s tenacity and chippiness in the second period were a major reason why the Senators were able to push back and stay in this one until the bitter, bitter end. But if we’re calling balls and strikes here, his uppercut sucker punch on Sean Walker — not to mention the jab to the side of Walker’s head right before — was gutless. He deserves a multiple-game suspension.

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Shane Pinto: B

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The Senators’ putrid power play really took away from how mighty the penalty kill was this series. Pinto’s willingness to sacrifice his body — like when he dove to thwart Shayne Gostisbehere’s shot from the high slot in the first — was one of the reasons why Ottawa was able to go 13-for-15. Having said that, Saturday was Pinto’s fourth straight game without a point, and the shutdown line, while they handled Carolina’s top trio rather well, never got on the board.

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Ottawa Senator Michael Amadio looks for a rebound as Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen makes a save during the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Saturday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Michael Amadio: C+

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Amadio was a factor in a ton of board battles on Saturday, unlike the first three games of the series, and seemed to be slightly quicker on his feet. He didn’t have a shot on goal and finished the series without a point.

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Nick Cousins: B

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Cousins didn’t see the ice a ton due to the amount of special teams in this one — he played 7:18 — but every shift of his was energetic, and he laid a hard hit every opportunity. For a third straight game, his poise with the puck must be mentioned: He hit Jordan Spence coming off the bench with a lovely cross-ice pass for a scoring chance in the second period.

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Warren Foegele: C-

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Foegele hit a bit of a wall midway through this series. He was one of the more driven players in Raleigh, but when the Senators arrived back home, it seemed like he had run out of gas. He had two hits in 7:06 on Saturday.

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The Ottawa Senators, including No. 20 Fabian Zetterlund, try to get the puck past Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen during the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Saturday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Fabian Zetterlund: C-

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Zetterlund had his chances on Saturday, but for the second straight playoff series, he’ll finish without a point. He was slow on rushes and didn’t advance the puck enough. The fourth line was a major dud in this series.

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Lars Eller: A-

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Eller found another gear for Game 4, battling for chances in front and winning more pucks along the walls. Of the players that coach Travis Green kept under 10 minutes in the must-win game — Eller played 8:32 — he had the most noticeable impact. Eller hit a crossbar fighting for a rebound in front on his first shift of the game, Lady Luck remaining consistent throughout the series (it was the seventh time the Senators struck iron). He was aggressive at the top of the box on the PK, had two blocks, and won seven of 12 faceoffs.

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Defencemen

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Tyler Kleven: A+

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Kleven was one of two Senators that didn’t have a poor game this series (the other is obviously Ullmark). He was one of two defencemen to throw a hit on Saturday, leading the D corps with five, all huge collisions. It’s unfortunate to see Alexander Nikishin unable to leave the ice on his own, but that was one of the hardest clean hits you’ll ever see. Kleven also pulverized Blake in the corner in the first, and had a ton of takeaways and clears on the penalty kill. For a second straight game, he was the most confident Ottawa blue liner on puck retrievals, calmly shaking off forecheckers to make good first passes. And for a second straight year, you can make the argument that Kleven was the top Senators Dmen in the postseason.

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Nikolas Matinpalo is seen after the Game 4 loss. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Nikolas Matinpalo: A-

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Matinpalo started the game off with a silly penalty, closing his hand on the puck and throwing it behind him in the neutral zone. He settled in after that, though. He was nails on the PK, saving a sure goal in the first with a block in front, and one of the Sens’ best scoring chances came in the third when Matinpalo skated in from the point and drove to the net to get a shot off that was almost buried by Batherson on the rebound. Like Kleven, Matinpalo elevated his game in the playoffs for a second straight year.