Ottawa Senators vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/20/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Monday, April 20, 2026

Venue:  Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC 

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Senators +124, Hurricanes -148; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Senators +125, Hurricanes -150; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Senators +125, Hurricanes -150; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Ottawa Senators:  44-27-11 (5th place, Atlantic Division)

Carolina Hurricanes:  53-22-7 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)

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Ottawa Senators:  6-3-1 last 10

Carolina Hurricanes:  8-1-1 last 10

The Senators are entering the playoffs with 99 points, a 44-27-11 record overall, and they were 21-15-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game, losing that one on the road 2-0. No one on the team scored a goal for them or recorded an assist in that one as the team was shut out. Tim Stützle led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Linus Ullmark was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots with 27 saves and a .931 save percentage. Their offense has scored 278 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 246 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.

The Hurricanes are entering the playoffs with 113 points, a 53-22-7 record overall, and they were 29-10-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Ottawa Senators in their last game, winning that one at home 2-0. Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jackson Blake led the team in assists with 2 while Logan Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov each led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Frederik Andersen was the starting goalie in that game and he recorded the shutout as he allowed 0 goals on 22 shots with 22 saves and a 1.000 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 296 goals this season averaging 3.6 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 240 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Hurricanes have looked great in their games this season with their 53-22-7 record overall which had them right at the top of their division in the East with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have looked great on home ice too with their 29-10-2 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Senators have looked good in their games this season with their 44-27-11 record overall, but that record had them in the bottom half of their division in the East. They have been a good road team with their 20-15-5 road record this year, but they definitely haven't been at their best in those games. This is game 2 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Hurricanes in the Metro and the 2nd Wild Card Senators from the Atlantic for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Hurricanes are entering this game with a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 by a score of 2-0. The Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season and were the strongest team in the East by far. They were still fighting for the top seed in the East late into the regular season though, so they are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and haven't really been slowing down at all. They have also been one of the best home teams in the NHL this season and have one of the best home records over the last few years, so they are going to lean on that in this series along with the tons of playoff experience they have, always being in the mix the last few seasons. The Senators don't have a lot of playoff experience to help them out in this series and they weren't even able to put a puck in the net in game 1. The Hurricanes have also been really good defensively this season and they aren't a team that has given up a lot of goals at home in the playoffs over the last few seasons. The Senators don't really have much of a chance in this series against the top seed in the East and they are going to be outmatched in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game. 

Senators Hurricanes Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Monday, April 20, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 3 Senators 1.

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Ottawa Senators: 128-125 (-16.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 20-33 (-10.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 70-78 (-9.2 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 8-4 OVER as a road underdog. 10-4 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

Carolina Hurricanes: 97-39 (+22.6 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite. 9-2 (+5.5 units) on the moneyline in the first round of the playoffs. 97-62 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game. 18-9 OVER as a home favorite of -200 or less. 25-18 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Ottawa Senators:  T. Kleven (D) Day To Day - Upper Body. N. Jensen (D) Out For Season - Lower-Body.

Carolina Hurricanes:  None.

“We didn’t find a way to generate enough, but they’re a team also that does that to you as well. And I didn’t think we gave up too many grade-As (scoring chances). They were on their toes. They’ve got a real good team, they didn’t finish first for nothing.” - Travis Green after his team’s loss against the Hurricanes in the 1st game of this series on Saturday. 

“We have good options and both guys have played well and we have confidence in both guys. But clearly experience I think won out, and he looked like he knew what he was doing.” - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s win against the Senators in game 1 of this series on Saturday. 

LW Drake Batherson

C Tim Stutzle

RW Claude Giroux

LD Jake Sanderson

RD Artyom Zub

G Linus Ullmark

LW Andrei Svechnikov

C Sebastian Aho

RW Seth Jarvis

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Jalen Chatfield

G Frederik Andersen

Points: Tim Stutzle (83)

Goals: Tim Stutzle (34)

Assists: Tim Stutzle (49)

GAA: James Reimer (2.42)

Points: Sebastian Aho (80)

Goals: Seth Jarvis (32)

Assists: Sebastian Aho (53)

GAA: Brandon Bussi (2.47)

Coaches:

Ottawa Senators: Travis Green (2nd season)

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (8th season)