Senators face top-seeded Hurricanes in first round, Game 1 tonight in Raleigh
The Ottawa Senators open the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, facing the Carolina Hurricanes in a first-round series that pits the Eastern Conference's second wild card against its top seed. Puck drop for Game 1 is 3 p.m. ET at Lenovo Center, with the Hurricanes carrying home-ice advantage through the best-of-seven.
Ottawa finished the regular season 43-27-11, sneaking into the post-season on the back of a strong March run that included a six-game winning streak. Carolina closed at 53-22-7, capturing the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference's number-one seed.
Schedule and logistics
CBC News confirmed that the series will shift north to the Canadian Tire Centre for Games 3 and 4 on April 23 and April 25. If necessary, Games 5 through 7 would follow in late April and early May, alternating between Raleigh and Ottawa. The Senators hold home ice for any tiebreaking seventh game only if they can split the opening pair on the road.
- Game 1 — Saturday, April 18, 3 p.m. ET at Raleigh
- Game 2 — Monday, April 20 at Raleigh
- Game 3 — Thursday, April 23 at Ottawa
- Game 4 — Saturday, April 25 at Ottawa
How Ottawa got here
The Senators are back in the playoffs on the strength of a balanced offence led by centre Tim Stutzle, who posted 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists) in 80 games. Winger Drake Batherson had a career-high 70 points (32 goals, 38 assists), and defenceman Jake Sanderson anchored a mobile blue line that moved the puck through three lines of forecheck.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark delivered the kind of late-season form Ottawa needed, closing the regular season as the NHL's Second Star of the Week with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .961 save percentage across his final four starts. Head coach Travis Green has confirmed Ullmark will start Game 1.
Carolina's challenge
Carolina's systems under head coach Rod Brind'Amour remain the template for modern forechecking, and the Hurricanes ranked in the top five in both shots generated and shots suppressed during the regular season. Centre Sebastian Aho led the team with 92 points, and off-season addition Mikko Rantanen gives Carolina a second line-driving forward who scouts expect to target the Ottawa blue line in transition.
NHL.com's series preview pointed to special teams as the likely swing factor, noting that Carolina's penalty kill ranked second in the league while Ottawa's power play improved to sixth after the trade deadline.
"We know what they do, they know what we do. It's going to come down to execution on the small plays," Stutzle told reporters in Raleigh on Friday.
What's next
A win in Game 1 would give Ottawa its first playoff road victory since the 2017 Eastern Conference Final run, and would mark only the third time in franchise history the Senators have taken an opener away from home. Carolina, which has made the second round in six of the past seven post-seasons, will look to avoid the upset narrative that dogged top seeds across the NHL in 2025. Follow our sports section for coverage of every game.
