Stormy seas: Senators need their stars to deliver in crucial Game 3 vs. Hurricanes

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk works out before the team’s optional skate on Wednesday. Tony Caldwell/Postmedia Network

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To beat the best, you have to be at your best.

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That’s what the Ottawa Senators need from their top players right now in the National Hockey League playoffs.

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As the stage switches to the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 3 on Thursday, with the Senators trailing the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0, some of the club’s top players have yet to make an impact on the scoresheet because goaltender Linus Ullmark has given his club a chance to win.

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Captain Brady Tkachuk, along with Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux, have been held pointless in the first two games of the series. If that doesn’t change, then the opportunity to advance won’t either.

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The Senators are creating chances, but they’re not cashing in on them and somehow the club has to find a way to solve Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen, who has allowed only two goals in more than 153 minutes in this series.

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“We had a lot more chances (in Game 2),” Senators coach Travis Green said. “I thought our game was a little loose in the first half of the game, which is uncharacteristic of our team. As aggressive as we like to play, we got overaggressive in certain areas. Linus had to make some big saves.

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“I thought the second half we played better defensively and, overall, I thought we created more than in Game 1. They are tough to get chances on, they’re a good defensive team, and we’ve got to find a way to create more.”

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How is Brady Tkachuk preparing?

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Tkachuk was on the ice well before the rest of his teammates on Wednesday at the rink. He was working on his shot and helping to warm up Leevi Merilainen, who was called up from the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville as part of the Black Aces.

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Green hasn’t minded the way Tkachuk has played in this series.

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“He’s been good, he’s been physical. I don’t know if he has a point yet, but there are a lot of guys who don’t have points. It’s not about points. It’s about winning and losing and how you play your 200-foot game,” Green said. “His game has been fine.”

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The Senators trip to the playoffs is supposed to be different this time.

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But through the first two games of the series, the results have been nearly a carbon copy of the club’s loss last spring.

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“We’re excited. I think we feel better than we did being down 2-0 last year,” winger Drake Batherson said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence and we’re excited to get in front of our fans. We all can’t wait.”

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The Senators are coming off a 3-2 double-overtime loss to Carolina on Monday night at the Lenovo Center. The club had some incredible chances to win the game after battling back from a 2-0 deficit in the second, but couldn’t bury the puck to get the winner in either OT.

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What happened last year?

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Last April, in Game 2 against the Leafs, the Senators trailed 2-0 before Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette put the club on the board to tie it. Max Domi put it away early in OT to take a 2-0 series lead.