Game 1 Preview
The Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes open their quest for their second-ever Stanley Cup championship when they take on the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of their 2026 NHL playoff matchup on Saturday. Carolina last won a Stanley Cup in 2006.
The Senators (44-27-1), who finished as a wild card team, are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. The Hurricanes (53-22-7), who had the best record in the East, are 7-2-1 over the past 10 games.
Series Schedule
The best-of-seven series begins with a 3 p.m. ET opening faceoff. The Hurricanes are the -152 favorites, while the over/under for total goals scored is 6.
Betting Odds
Senators vs. Hurricanes money line: Carolina -152, Ottawa +127
Senators vs. Hurricanes over/under: 6
Key Player Projections
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times and projects the following performance:
Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk is projected to score 0.44 goals and 0.55 assists, while goaltender Linus Ullmark will make 25.3 saves and allow 3.27 goals.
Carolina's Seth Jarvis is projected to score 0.48 goals and 0.50 assists. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov will make 20.6 saves and allow 3.1 goals.
Prediction
After 10,000 simulations of Senators vs. Hurricanes, the model is going Over on the total (6).
The Over has hit in three of the last four head-to-head meetings between the teams, in four of the last seven Carolina games, and in 42 of the last 82 Ottawa games.