Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/23/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, April 23, 2026

Venue:  Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON

Where to Watch:  TBS, HBO Max

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes +105, Senators -125; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes +105, Senators -125; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes +102, Senators -122; Over/Under:  6 goals

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

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

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Carolina Hurricanes:  8-1-1 last 10

Ottawa Senators:  6-2-2 last 10

The Hurricanes are entering the playoffs with 113 points, a 53-22-7 record overall, and they were 24-12-5 in their road 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 3-2 in double overtime. Jordan Martinook, Logan Stankoven, and Sebastian Aho each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jackson Blake, Jordan Staal, K'Andre Miller, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Taylor Hall each led the team in assists with 1 while Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov each led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Frederik Andersen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 39 shots with 37 saves and a .949 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 Senators are entering the playoffs with 99 points, a 44-27-11 record overall, and they were 23-12-6 in their home 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 3-2 in 2OT. Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jake Sanderson led the team in assists with 2 while Brady Tkachuk led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Linus Ullmark was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 46 shots with 43 saves and a .935 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 current betting odds have the Senators listed as a slight 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 been a good road team too with their 24-12-5 road record this year. 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 looked good on home ice too with their 23-12-6 home record this season. This is game 3 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 2-0 series lead after winning game 2 by a score of 3-2. The Hurricanes took care of business at home and that is no surprise since they are one of the best home teams in the NHL, but they haven't looked as good in their road games and they did play in 2 really tight games. They only won the 1st game in this series 2-0 and now they are off a 3-2 win which went to double OT, but they blew a 2-0 lead in that one and it could have easily gone the other way. Now they are going on the road and the Senators are going to be desperate to win this game at home and avoid going into a 3-0 hole. The Senators haven't looked that bad lately as they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and they have been playing playoff hockey for a while now since they were fighting for that last Wild Card spot in the East. Look for the Senators to bring their best effort in this one and leave everything they have on the ice as they are off a really tight win that they could have poached on the road. The best way to place a bet here is on the Senators to win this game. 

Hurricanes Senators Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, April 23, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Senators 4 Hurricanes 2.

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Carolina Hurricanes: 123-73 (+7.5 units) on the moneyline against excellent power play teams- scoring on over 17.5% of their chances. 10-2 (+6.5 units) on the moneyline in the first round of the playoffs. 98-62 (+7.6 units) on the moneyline against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game. 30-21 OVER against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game.

Ottawa Senators: 128-126 (-17.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 20-34 (-11.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 70-79 (-10.2 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 27-19 OVER at home when the money line is -100 to -150.

Carolina Hurricanes:  None.

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

“That’s the toughest thing: You have it won, a hard-fought game, and then to have it turned over. You’ve got to give the guys tons of credit, because our game didn’t change. We actually got better, I think, in the second overtime.” - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s win against the Senators in the 2nd game of this series on Monday. 

“A hell of an effort. Playoffs are hard sometimes. Some of the games you lose, they sting. This one's going to sting.” - Travis Green after his team’s loss against the Hurricanes in game 2 of this series on Monday.

LW Andrei Svechnikov

C Sebastian Aho

RW Seth Jarvis

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Jalen Chatfield

G Frederik Andersen

LW Drake Batherson

C Tim Stutzle

RW Claude Giroux

LD Jake Sanderson

RD Nikolas Matinpalo

G Linus Ullmark

Points: Sebastian Aho (80)

Goals: Seth Jarvis (32)

Assists: Sebastian Aho (53)

GAA: Brandon Bussi (2.47)

Points: Tim Stutzle (83)

Goals: Tim Stutzle (34)

Assists: Tim Stutzle (49)

GAA: James Reimer (2.42)

Coaches:

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

Ottawa Senators: Travis Green (2nd season)