Nothing like a measuring stick game to kick off the Ottawa Senators’ season of promise and hope.

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To be the best, you have to beat the best, and if the Senators want to host playoff games next spring, they’ll have to be better for 60 minutes than they were in a 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night at PNC Arena.

“I thought we played well in the first period.” We were all set to have some fun. That’s a fast-paced game, and I think we tried to be a little sweet in the second, and it burnt us,” Joseph told Gord Wilson of TSN 1200 in Raleigh. “After that, they took advantage of some good opportunities that we did not.”

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“We fought hard, and we have to stick to the game plan for the next 60 minutes.” It’s Game 1, there are 81 more, and we simply have to go on to the next game.”

The Senators were obliged to play a forward short because centre Josh Norris is currently hampered by a surgically repaired shoulder and centre Shane Pinto remains unsigned due to salary cap difficulties.

This was a difficult physical test, and being shorthanded in the middle of the ice didn’t help matters.

Mathieu Joseph (21) of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with Parker Kelly (27) during the first period on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C.AP PHOTO BY KARL B DEBLAKER

Stutzle and Kelly scored in a 35-second period to level the game after Jordan Staal took the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead early in the third. Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen had no chance on either goal, and Kelly’s came on the power play at 5:13 to reduce the margin before Stutzle momentarily tied it.

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GETTING STARTED

Korpisalo made the start in this one after signing a five-year, $20 million contract on July 1. He’ll likely split the net with Anton Forsberg this season, but he was general manager Pierre Dorion’s biggest off-season acquisition.

Korpisalo was solid and kept his club in it for 40 minutes, but he struggled in the third.To put it another way, Jaccob Slavin scored shorthanded to give Carolina a 5-3 lead at 11:05 of the first period.

Korpisalo had been fine up until that point.

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Joonas Korpisalo saves a penalty shot attempt by Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesper Fast during the first period on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 in Raleigh, N.C.AP PHOTO BY KARL B DEBLAKER

With Ottawa holding a 1-0 lead and Stutzle in the box, the Canes scored on the power play.At 2:58 of the second period, Michael Bunting hung onto the puck long enough to beat Korpisalo stick side.

A LARGE TASK

Carolina has always been a difficult opponent for the Senators, and the team entered this game with a 5-8-2 record versus the Hurricanes in the previous 15 meetings since Feb. 24, 2017.

The Hurricanes are highly regarded as a contender for the Eastern Conference title.

“I thought we came out great,” coach D.J. Smith said. “A couple of turnovers land in our net in the second period, but we (tie it up) 3-3 and then a couple get in the net.”

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“Six penalties are excessive. You can take more than three on the road, and there were some nice things, but there were definitely some guys who wished they had better games.”

Vladimir Tarasenko of the Ottawa Senators handles the puck in front of Carolina Hurricanes’ Martin Necas during the first period on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C.AP PHOTO BY KARL B DEBLAKER

‘N’ THIS

Drake Batherson played 18 minutes and had five shots on goal, but he missed a handful of decent chances. “I felt great. “I had a couple of good looks, and (Andersen) came up big,” Batherson said.

“There’s a few looks I’d like to have back.” … If the Senators want to make the playoffs, the start will be crucial. The club went 4-15-1 in the first 20 games of 2021-22, and last year started 7-12-1 before making a late charge… Joseph has been referenced frequently in trade rumours, but he had a strong camp and jumped right on the board. At 3:14 of the first period, the fast winger tipped a shot from defenseman Artem Zub by Andersen for his first goal in 27 games. Joseph’s first goal since January.

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THE FINAL WORDS

Adversity will be present throughout the season, and it’s no surprise that the team had to deal with some early on.

Smith wasn’t going to let the club’s work in camp suffer because they were one player short of the NHL’s 20-man roster restriction. The Senators took a businesslike approach, and while they won’t publicly proclaim that they want to make the playoffs, they also can’t let little distractions upset them.

If Norris or Zack MacEwen are unable to play on Saturday, the Senators will be entitled to call up a Belleville player earning $875,000 or less. Jiri Smejkal, a solid camp performer, is the leading candidate.

“You get up in the morning and you can only control what you can control,” he remarked. “And that is for each player to do their role. I must complete my task. You can’t stop playing whether you’re short a guy or if a guy gets hurt in the middle of the game.

“You’ve got to play the game and we’re coming here to play and to win.”

The Senators will play the Philadelphia Flyers in their home opener on Saturday at 1 p.m.