Start growing those playoff beards — the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived at long last. The Eastern Conference’s top team, the Carolina Hurricanes, are accustomed to the postseason after making it to this stage for what’s now the eighth straight season. They’re still in search of their first title over this span though, the path to which begins with a date against the second Wild Card team, the Ottawa Senators.
Here’s a detailed look at this Hurricanes vs. Senators series, including a preview, betting odds, and a top pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Hurricanes vs. Senators series preview
Carolina Hurricanes
The Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t anything new for the Hurricanes after making so many trips to the postseason over the last few seasons. If winning the Cup is the mountaintop, they’ve been pushed off the cliffside a few hundred feet below the summit in each of these campaigns, though. Carolina has fallen short in the Eastern Conference Final in two of the last three seasons, but the hope is that without the rival Florida Panthers in the bracket to play spoiler yet again, perhaps this is the year that the franchise finally breaks through.
A 113-point campaign with a 53-22-7 record was good for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, also marking the second-best finish for the Canes during the Rod Brind’Amour era. In fact, those 53 victories were the second most of any team across the NHL in the 2025-26 regular season. The results speak for themselves. The offense is the second-highest scoring in the sport with 3.55 goals per game and a goal differential of 55 ranks third overall. The Hurricanes also rank third in high-danger chances and second in total shots per game (32.2), so not only are they putting plenty of pucks on net, they’re getting good looks at that. Special teams are another strength, sitting fourth in PP% at 24.9% and a respectable 11th in PK% at 80.5%. If one looks at the numbers from just January 1 onward, the Canes are hitting at a staggering 31.7% on the man advantage — the NHL’s best mark.
While they still don’t have a true superstar like many top contenders, the addition of Nikolaj Ehlers has provided some much-needed firepower after a 71-point campaign (26G/45A), joining established stars Sebastian Aho (80 P; 27G/53A) and Seth Jarvis (66 P; 32G/34A). Between those three and a career-best 70-point season from Andrei Svechnikov (31G/39A), one can argue this is the best group of high-end talent Carolina has rolled out during this era.
The other side of things gets more interesting. The Hurricanes are sixth in goals allowed per game at 2.88 and give up the fewest shots of any team at 23.9 per outing. They also lead the league in takeaways, and while they’re dead last in blocks per 60, this blue line is clearly quite good and the forward group is also engaged defensively.
The question is the goaltending, and it’s punctuated by a huge question mark at that. They’re yet to name a playoff starter and have three options between rookie Brandon Bussi as well as veterans Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. The former earned 31 wins while leading the team with 39 games, amassing a 2.47 GAA and .895 SV%. However, he faded down the stretch. Andersen produced a career-worst campaign with a 3.05 GAA and .874 SV%, so the coaching staff can’t feel great about sending him out there. Kochetkov appeared in just nine games with a 2.33 GAA and .899 SV%, but was only just activated after rehabbing an injury that sidelined him since December 20.
In short, Carolina faces quite the conundrum. Of course, there’s little margin for error.
Ottawa Senators
Looking toward the other side of the matchup, the Senators are making their second straight Stanley Cup Playoff appearance after falling short in the first round last year. In a sense, you could say this campaign has been a tale of two seasons for Ottawa, which began with an 18-15-5 record prior to January 1. From the start of 2026 and beyond, the Sens went 26-12-6 with the third most points of any team since New Year’s Day. They finished out with a 44-27-11 record, good for the sixth-most points in the conference.
Usually, the second Wild Card team may not pose a significant threat to open the postseason. That feels a little different with this group, so they’re probably not a squad to write off from the opening puck drop. Ottawa ranks eighth in scoring with 3.35 goals per game and ninth in shots per game with 28.9. As it turns out, the Senators actually underperformed their expected goals mark, which falls seventh in the entire NHL. A shooting percentage of 11.59% ranks 10th though, and they were seventh in high-danger shots as well. There are things working well for this attack, which also comes in with the eighth-best PP% at 24.0%.
One of the primary drivers of the turnaround for Ottawa has been Tim Stutzle, whose 83 points lead the team thanks his 34 goals and 48 assists, also both high marks for the roster. His linemate Drake Batherson (71P; 33G/38 A) sits second. The second line also has a high-scoring pairing with Dylan Cozens (59P; 28G/31A) and star Brady Tkachuk (59P; 22G/37A), the latter of whom produces at a near point-per-game pace after appearing in just 60 contests. Jake Sanderson also ranks inside the top-20 point scorers among defensemen with 54 on the year.
The Senators’ defensive capabilities don’t stand out quite as much at first glance with 2.99 goals allowed per game, 13th in the NHL. However, that mark actually falls to 2.75 since January 1, which would rank fourth leaguewide over that span. They also give up the second-fewest shots (24.4) and limit quality chances from opponents, ranking first in high-danger shots allowed and fourth in medium-danger shots as well. Ottawa also comes in at sixth in takeaways and ties for first in face-off win percentage at 54.5%. Those factors all add up to something closer to a winning recipe, though presumed starting netminder Linus Ullmark has a 2.73 GAA with an uglier .891 SV%.
There’s one major weakness that hasn’t yet been mentioned, though. The Senators are fourth worst on the penalty kill with a 75.7% PK%. That could prove incredibly problematic given their opponent.
Hurricanes vs. Senators first-round series prediction, pick
Understandably, the Hurricanes are favored to win this opening-round series at -170 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. On the other side, the Senators are +145 underdogs to emerge victorious from this best-of-seven.
Were the Stanley Cup Playoff format not structured in its current form, the Sens would likely be rewarded with a slightly easier path out of the first round given that they’re fifth in the Eastern Conference based on point total. That’s not the world we’re living in, much to the chagrin of many fans. With that said — if any series is one in which bettors may get cute to take an upset, this might be it.
The odds aren’t in the underdogs’ favor, but Ottawa has played excellent hockey in 2026 and certainly turned its season around in a really impressive way. It’s simply difficult to ignore, even if the Senators are the second of two Wild Card teams and heading into a matchup against an excellent Carolina roster. The Senators are physical, ranking third in hits leaguewide. If they can play that kind of game and make things uncomfortable for the Hurricanes while taking advantage of their opponent’s unstable situation between the posts, it’s possible they can emerge with an upset after all. That hinges on maintaining an advantage on faceoffs and being able to match a high-powered Canes attack. With such a poor penalty kill though, even one untimely mistake could cost the Sens the game. After taking the eighth-most penalties over the course of the regular season, that’ll be a trend to watch in this series.
This should be a competitive affair and surely won’t be a sweep, but the Hurricanes are likely too much to handle. A punishing forecheck and high-octane offense coupled with an awesome power play should overwhelm the Senators as Carolina takes care of business to advance.
Top Pick: CAR Hurricanes series spread -1.5 (+120)
Puck drop for game one of this series is Saturday, April 18 at 3 p.m. ET.
