Stützle Braces for Brutal Physical Battle

Tim Stützle lays it out straight - his Senators crew saw this first-round clash with Carolina coming in heavy and physical from the drop. Ottawa's young guns have bulked up over the season, but facing the Hurricanes' grind-it-out style tests every ounce of that prep in ways only vets like me recognize from decades of playoff wars. The stakes skyrocket here, with a Game 1 shutout loss already putting the pressure on Stützle to flip the script before the series slips away.