What, me worry? The Ottawa Senators aren’t feeling any pressure at all as they prepare to open the National Hockey League playoffs.
It didn’t take long for the Senators to turn up the heat on the Carolina Hurricanes, the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season as they prepared for Game 1 of the first-round series on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The eighth-ranked Senators will face the Hurricanes in the best-of-seven series opener at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., and Ottawa alternate captain Thomas Chabot maintained that all the pressure was on Carolina.
“It’s going to take a lot,” Chabot said of the challenge. “We’re the team in eighth, we know we’re in the underdog position, and we know where we’re at. I have a lot of belief in our group.
“This is a hard-fought series; it’s going to be tight every night. That’s a hard building to play in; it brings a lot of energy, even in the season.”
The Senators have never faced the Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they’ve won only about 30 per cent of their regular-season games in Raleigh, where Ottawa has a 16-38-5 record overall.
Does Chabot feel like the pressure is on Carolina?
“I would say so,” he said. “They’ve been to the Eastern Conference final the last couple of years, they’ve made runs every year, and this is only the second time we’ve made the playoffs (with this group).
“I know the spot that we’re in, but every single guy is ready to face that challenge, and we can’t wait to get it going.”
Chabot is mostly correct about Carolina’s playoff success. The Hurricanes have advanced to the East final in two of the past three postseasons. They dropped a 4-1 decision to the Panthers last spring and were also swept by Florida in 2023.
Defenceman Jake Sanderson during practice in Ottawa on Friday.
A wealth of experience
But this is the Hurricanes’ eighth straight trip to the playoffs. They haven’t been eliminated in the first round since 2019. The Senators were one of the NHL’s best teams in the last six weeks, but hockey in the postseason is a different animal, and this will be a difficult test.
“It’s the hardest thing to win in sports, the Stanley Cup, so for me it’s just embracing that hard road,” Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said. “It takes a lot of ups, a lot of downs, and a lot of adversity.
“And that’s what makes it more special. It’s going to be a grind. There’s not going to be many chances on both sides. It’ll be a series that will be a hard-fought battle.”
Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour voice nothing but respect for the Senators.
“It’s just a really exceptional team,” Brind’Amour said. “You look at their record, and you say, ‘Oh, they’re the eighth seed.’ No, you have to dig in a little further. When their goaltending came around, all of a sudden they didn’t lose.
“They’ve got it all covered off. You look at trying to find a weakness, and there isn’t any. We have two really similar teams, and we play a really similar way, so every game is going to be a war.”
Even Brind’Amour is trying to temper expectations in Carolina.
“That might be the toughest matchup you could have asked for,” he said.
Ottawa head coach Travis Green said the Senators should enjoy the challenge.
“I thought today’s practice was fast, and there was a lot of purpose. The players were dialled in,” Green said.
“You probably see that around the league. Everyone knows that this is why you play the game. You grow up as a kid waiting to play playoff hockey. No team is different. They’re all excited to play right now.”
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk shoots the puck during practice in Ottawa on Friday.
Kleven closing in on a return
Defenceman Tyler Kleven resumed skating with his teammates on Friday while wearing a full visor to protect a surgically repaired jaw that was broken when he was struck in the face by a puck in an April 2 game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Green wasn’t about to tip his hand on when Kleven, the rugged second-pairing blueliner, might return to the lineup.
“He’s closer to playing, he’s out with the group,” said Green, who didn’t rule out the chance that Kleven might even return on Saturday.
But that would appear unlikely. Kleven was wearing a yellow non-contact jersey on Friday and grabbed at his face after he was struck by an errant stick during a drill. He spent some time with Senators equipment assistant Bram Karp, getting an adjustment to the visor.
Kleven skated in the fourth defence pairing with Lassi Thomson on Friday, while Dennis Gilbert took turns with Nikolas Matinpalo, but Kleven’s presence left the impression that he was expected to play in this series.
“It’d be huge. He’s been such a big piece to this team all year; he’s played so well,” Chabot said. “His presence, how physical he is, how strong he is, there aren’t many guys like him out there. So, if we could get him, hopefully either next game or in the next couple games, it’ll be a big add for us for sure.”
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
Accompanied by former Senators player Chris Neil, left, and team president Cyril Leeder, right, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe takes a Sens Mile street sign to a ceremony at City Hall on Friday. Sens Mile signs will be installed along Elgin Street for the length of the Senators’ run in the 2026 NHL playoffs.
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