Heading into the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff, there was talk that the Ottawa Senators may find a way to challenge the Carolina Hurricanes after completely turning around their campaign in the second half. Things haven’t quite played out that way though, especially not with this series sitting at 3-0 in the Canes’ favor. Will the Sens’ offense finally wake up to keep their season alive, or will this be the first series to wrap up and send a team packing?
Here’s a Hurricanes vs. Senators Game 4 prediction and pick for today’s NHL Playoffs action on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Hurricanes vs. Senators Game 4 prediction, preview
The Hurricanes enter with a three-game lead, and while one could argue the series hasn’t been close based on that line, things have actually been much more even than the near-sweep suggests. Carolina, one of the NHL’s best offenses with 3.55 goals per game in the regular season has been held to just seven goals across those three contests. Moreover, two of those three matchups have been decided by just one goal — the final scores read 2-0, 3-2 (OT) and 2-1.
Clearly, the Ottawa defense has actually held up for the most part against an excellent roster with plenty of scoring talent. The play of Linus Ullmark in net with a 2.02 GAA, .933 SV% and over five goals saved above expected (best of any playoff goalie) has truly stood out. In fact, he’s practically the entire reason this series is even still competitive.
The Senators’ offense has entirely dried up, though. They’ve mustered only three goals in three games after averaging 3.48 per contest from January 1 through the end of the regular season, eighth-most in the NHL. That’s stunning, given that Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen is still in the midst of a career-worst campaign with an .974 SV% and 3.05 GAA. His numbers in these three games thus far? He boasts a .964 SV% with a miniscule 0.84 GAA.
Perhaps the biggest difference between these teams in these Stanley Cup Playoffs? That would be the special teams play. Ottawa has managed to record a PK% of 90.0%, a very impressive feat against a Carolina squad which deploys one of the NHL’s most formidable power-play units. However, the Hurricanes’ PK sits at a perfect 100.0% and hasn’t allowed a single goal in 15 chances by the Senators. If the man advantage can’t score at all, there’s no way they’ll hang around with a superior roster.
Hurricanes vs. Senators Game 4 pick, best bet
The Hurricanes enter Game 4 of this best-of-seven with -125 odds to complete the sweep on the Moneyline. As for the Senators, they’re listed at +105 odds to win outright despite playing at home. The game total sits at 5.5 combined goals on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Betting splits show 76% of straight bets on Carolina to win, 74% on the Hurricanes to cover the -1.5 puck line, and 51% on the total’s under.
Yes, the series has been closer than the 3-0 deficit suggests, but can the Canes break out the brooms? They have more talent across the roster and suddenly Andersen looks like prime Patrick Roy between the pipes. Unless the Sens can get the offense going — and rest assured, they’ll try everything they can — this may spell the end of the road for their season. The turnaround ever since New Year’s Day made for a great story, but finding any kind of momentum at this stage while staring down elimination in pretty embarrassing fashion could spell trouble in Ottawa.
I do believe the Hurricanes take the series today, but given the excellent play of both netminders and the fact that the defenses are so good right now, I’d rather go with under 5.5 goals on the game total at even value. All three prior contests have gone under, so I think that trend should continue.
