Check out a prediction and top betting pick for Game 1 between the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The puck drops on the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs this Saturday, beginning with a matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes at 3 p.m. ET. While this is a matchup between the lowest and highest-seeded teams in the Eastern Conference, at least technically speaking, this has the makings of a series that could be far closer than one may assume as the top team in the conference battles the second Wild Card.

Here’s a Senators vs. Hurricanes Game 1 prediction and pick for today’s NHL Playoffs action on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Senators vs. Hurricanes Game 1 prediction, preview

At first glance, this series may seem like a lopsided affair as a 113-point Hurricanes squad takes on a 99-point Senators side that ended up as the second of the two Wild Card teams in the Eastern Conference. However, a deeper dive (which you can find at the related article linked a couple of paragraphs down) may suggest otherwise.

Here’s the deal. Carolina is a battle-tested squad when it comes to the playoffs, having been to the Eastern Conference Final in two of the last three seasons before falling short. The Canes have won at least one round dating back to 2019 as well, so there’s some degree of pedigree to rely on. They’re also one of the best teams in the NHL this season, averaging the second-most goals (3.55 per game) and shots (32.2). Prowess on the power play is another high mark, hitting at 24.9% on the year. That mark ranks fourth in the league, but the man advantage is clicking at a staggering 31.7% rate since January 1, which would be good for first among all teams.

Not only do they have a collection of proven talent in Sebastian Aho (80 P; 27G/53A), Seth Jarvis (66 P; 32G/34A) and Andrei Svechnikov (31G/39A), they also added more firepower over the offseason to get this good in the first place. Nikolaj Ehlers (71 P; 26G/45A) is surely ready for his first postseason in a Canes uniform. His presence is supposed to be a key for this team, which has suffered from a lack of higher-end production in past playoff runs.

The question here is how the defense will fare, especially given uncertainty surrounding the starting goaltender. Carolina ranks sixth in goals allowed per game (2.88), first in shots allowed (23.9) and first in takeaways. However, the Hurricanes are also last in blocks per 60 and there’s no telling which netminder will start in the crease. Rookie Brandon Bussi has better numbers than his elder counterpart Frederik Andersen, but the latter brings far more experience in this kind of environment. The decision should prove fascinating.

The Senators, meanwhile, started the season in middling fashion but turned things up from January 1 onward. From that date forward, they went 26-12-6 with the third-most points of any team. They’re not a playoff-proven group as this marks just their second appearance since 2017, but there’s reason to believe they can make noise. Ottawa ranks eighth in goals per game (3.35) and ninth in shots (28.9). The Sens also sit seventh in high-danger chances and eighth on the power play with a PP% of 24.0%.

They’re led in scoring by Tim Stutzle and his 83 points (34G/48A), but that’s also a byproduct of the fact the team’s main star missed a chunk of the season. Brady Tkachuk (59 P; 22G/37A) produces at nearly a point-per-game pace and linemate Dylan Cozens has been quite good as well (59 P; 28G/31A). Drake Batherson also has 71 points (33G/38 A) on the top line alongside Stutzle. Defenseman Jake Sanderson also has 54 points as well.

Defensively, the Senators are quite stout with just 2.75 goals allowed per game since January 1. Since then, they also concede the second-fewest shots (24.4) of any team. The situation between the posts is shaky though, seeing as Lunus Ullmark has a 2.73 GAA and .891 SV% on the campaign. He’ll need plenty of support from the players in front of him in this one.

Senators vs. Hurricanes Game 1 pick, best bet

The home-team Hurricanes enter Game 1 of this best-of-seven with -148 odds to take the opening contest on the Moneyline. As for the Senators, they’re listed at +124 odds to win outright. The game total sits at 6.5 combined goals on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Betting splits show 86% of straight bets on Carolina to win, 62% on the home team to cover the -1.5 puck line, and 64% on the total’s under.

The first game of a series is often a feel-out spot in which the two sides are trying to figure each other out. Sometimes weird things happen, but barring the bright lights of a first career postseason start for Bussi in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Carolina should take care of business to open this one. The Hurricanes are a superior team and are largely used to playing in this kind of environment, plus they tend to overwhelm opposing defenses with their high volume of shots on goal. Additionally, their power play is among the NHL’s best; the Senators’ penalty kill ranks fourth worst with a PK% of 75.7%. If Ottawa isn’t careful, those penalties will rack up and make this game get out of hand quickly.

All things considered, this could be a close one. I don’t see it though, at least not with an energized crowd behind the Canes at home to start the series. This year feels different for Carolina.

Best bet: CAR Hurricanes -1.5 (+164)