Thomas Chabot injury scare turns heat on Hurricanes after Sean Walker hit
Thomas Chabot gave Travis Green and the Senators a scare Saturday, and Sean Walker's late hit pushed this series into an ugly place.
That's the story in Ottawa right now, even with elimination hanging over the building. Carolina came into Game 4 with a 3-0 series lead, but this wasn't just about scoreboard pressure anymore.
When Chabot went down and slid hard into the end boards, the whole sequence felt dangerous right away. He stayed on the ice long enough to make it clear this was more than routine playoff traffic.
That's what makes the play so hard to shrug off. Chabot is already coming off a serious injury, and Ottawa has leaned on him because the blue line is stretched thin.
The Hurricanes have built a reputation in this series for grinding every inch of ice, every battle on the wall, every net-front scrum. That edge can win in the playoffs, but there's a line, and this looked too close to it.
Walker's finish on Chabot landed late enough to leave a bad taste. In a game where the Senators were fighting to keep their season alive, it felt needless.
Ottawa can't afford another Chabot setback
The good news is Chabot appeared to avoid the worst. That matters more than anything else for Ottawa, because losing him again would be a brutal hit to a team already staring down the end.
You could see the danger in the clip. Chabot gets nudged off balance, turns awkwardly, and crashes shoulder-first into the boards before staying down as the play moves away.
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That image says plenty on its own. Ottawa finished the regular season at 44-27-11 with a +32 goal differential, and Chabot remains one of the few Senators defenders who can settle the breakout when things get frantic.
Carolina aren't some fake contender inventing an identity in April. Rod Brind'Amour's group finished 53-22-7 with a +56 differential, and they've earned every bit of respect that comes with that.
But respect also comes from knowing when playoff bite turns into reckless hockey. The Hurricanes have played hard, heavy, and mean in this matchup, and too many moments have drifted toward the wrong side of that balance.
For the Senators, this hit should harden the mood on the bench, not rattle it. If Chabot is fine, Ottawa still has a pulse. If not, this becomes more than an elimination game. It becomes a reminder of what this series has cost.
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APRIL 25, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Drake Batherson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mark Jankowski | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Carter Yakemchuk | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Mike Amadio | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| William Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Thomas Chabot | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Nick Cousins | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Cozens | - | - | - | |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | - | - | - | |
| Lars Eller | - | - | - | |
| Warren Foegele | - | - | - | |
| Dennis Gilbert | - | - | - | |
| Claude Giroux | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||