Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game Preview, Picks & Odds for Saturday, April 18, 2026

By Thom Cunningham | Apr 17, 2026, 9:22pm

The 2026 NHL Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 18 with the Ottawa Senators taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens surged into the playoffs with a late-season charge, while Carolina has been a consistent club nestled in the Eastern Conference despite no Stanley Cups yet. Let’s dive into the Game 1 odds, trends, betting information and data to get you ready for the series opener in Raleigh.

Senators vs. Hurricanes Betting Analysis

Let’s start with the elephant in the room, the goal total. Carolina typically goes Over a lot at home, noted by the goals per game and O/U record below. The Over has also hit in three of four meetings, while both Ottawa and Carolina are top 10 in the NHL for Overs this season. There is one piece of data worth nothing in regards to the total market, that being Carolina has actually hit the Under in six straight games during the daytime.

We still like the Over, but there’s value elsewhere, such as the first period market. Carolina has won the first period in five straight games, along with nine of 10 when coming off a road win. The Over, though, still has plus-value at 6.5 – so play the price you want between those markets. The moneyline is murky, Ottawa entering on a 6-2 SU run over its last eight games while Carolina is 8-0 SU over its last eight with rest advantage.

Senators vs. Hurricanes Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

Carolina to win the 1P is the best bet for this game.

Best Bet: CAR 1P ML (+155)
Score Prediction: CAR 4, OTT 3

Senators vs. Hurricanes Game Odds

Senators vs. Hurricanes Game Information

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
Network: ESPN
Location: Raleigh, Carolina
Venue: Lenovo Center – 7 goals per game; 26-14-1 O/U
Series Score: 0-0
Series Preview

Senators vs. Hurricanes Betting Resources

Senators vs. Hurricanes Key Players

Carolina Hurricanes

Seth Jarvis – Season Stats: 32 goals, 34 assists, +6
Sebastian Aho – Season Stats: 27 goals, 53 assists, +11
Brandon Bussi – Season Stats: 31-6-2, 2.47 GAA, .895 SV%

Ottawa Senators

Brady Tkachuk – Season Stats: 22 goals, 37 assists, +4
Tim Stutzle – Season Stats: 34 goals, 49 assists, +7
Linus Ullmark – Season Stats: 28-12-8, 2.73 GAA, .891 SV%

Photo Credit: AP/Chris O’Meara

Thom Cunningham

Thom Cunningham is the Lineups.com News Editor and has been involved with sports media for almost two decades at Spectrum, VegasInsider.com, Oddschecker, VSiN and much more as a content producer - focused on the betting and gaming space over the last decade tracking insights, data analytics and covering various markets from the NFL to the Oscars.