One of the best time periods on the sports calendar is just around the corner as the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff approaching. With the regular season winding down and the postseason set to begin Saturday, the first-round matchups are now taking shape on the schedule.
The Carolina Hurricanes earned the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 113 points to secure an opening series against the second of the two Wild Card teams. That pits them against the Ottawa Senators, whose 97 points placed them fifth in a competitive Atlantic Division.
As opening odds go live for each playoff series on DraftKings Sportsbook, we get our first look at which side betting markets favor. The initial listing sees the Hurricanes enter as -170 favorites to win this series while the Senators come in as a +145 underdog.
It’s almost a little surprising to see these odds listed the way they are rather than with a larger gap between the two sides. While Carolina finished its regular-season slate at eighth in goal differential, the franchise ranks second in goals per game (3.55) and sixth in goals allowed per contest (2.88). The Canes are also fourth in PP% at 24.9% and have additional firepower alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis that they haven’t deployed in past playoff runs, courtesy of a 71-point campaign from Nikolaj Ehlers. The goaltending question is a big one, but this is a formidable roster that could potentially cakewalk to an Eastern Conference Final appearance.
Now compare those marks and Carolina’s postseason history to Ottawa, which has little Stanley Cup Playoff experience outside of last season’s first-round exit. The Sens are 11th in goal differential, eighth in goals per game (3.36) and 14th in goals allowed (3.01). The power play is eighth at 23.5%, but their penalty kill lags far behind at fourth-to-last given a 75.5% rate. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk are obviously capable and Drake Batherson comes off a career-best 70 points, but there’s simply not as much talent throughout this roster in comparison to their opponent.
However, anything can happen in the NHL. Carolina holds +450 odds to win the Stanley Cup, the second best of any team on DraftKings Sportsbook. Ottawa comes in at +1400, good for for seventh on the leaderboard.
