Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators: Odds, Puck Line, and Total
Has it been hard or easy for NHL prognosticators this spring? Teams are playing fun, loose styles of ice hockey when there’s little to play for, making it simple to…
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 13: Nick Jensen #3 of the Ottawa Senators looks to shoot while defended by Martin Necas #88 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of the game at Lenovo Center on December 13, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Has it been hard or easy for NHL prognosticators this spring? Teams are playing fun, loose styles of ice hockey when there's little to play for, making it simple to win on goal scorer's picks, along with most of the league's season-ending goal total markets. But on occasion this April, there's been an NHL clash that's meaningless in the standings that turned out as dull as it was supposed to be.
Carolina's habits as a clinched playoff seed have given hockey's predictors a whole new challenge. As the Carolina Hurricanes prepare to visit the Ottawa Senators for a postseason tune-up at 7 p.m. this evening, the Hurricanes' lineup is in such a reserve-happy mode that the 'Canes resemble a Premier League soccer team going against League One in the FA Cup's early rounds. Hockey fans are used to looking at teams that temporarily don't care much about wins and losses. It's another thing to be forecasting a team like Carolina in Game 82 of the season, with so many players "resting" that it puts the NBA to shame.
The story can't be lost on Las Vegas. Yet, the Carolina Hurricanes have a minus-odds market to defeat Ottawa tonight in spite of all the lineup restrictions. Are the Ottawa Senators anticipated to follow suit and put on a rookie's rumble with the Hurricanes?
Spread
- Hurricanes +1.5 (-245)
- Senators -1.5 (+210)
Moneyline
- Hurricanes +100
- Senators -120
Total
- Over 5.5 (-125)
- Under 5.5 (+105)
*The above data was collected on April 17, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators Betting Trends
- Carolina is 1-6 in its last seven games.
- Carolina is 4-1 over its last five games against Ottawa.
- The Carolina Hurricanes are 0-5 in their last five road games.
- Ottawa is 5-2 in its last seven games.
- The Ottawa Senators are 5-1 in the last six games at home.
- The total has gone over in four out of Ottawa's last five games.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators Injury Reports
Carolina Hurricanes
- None
Ottawa Senators
- Right winger Hayden Hodgson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
- Left winger Brady Tkachuk remains out with a lower-body injury.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators Predictions and Picks
No matter how aimless tonight's game becomes, it probably has to be more fun than some of this season's prior Senators-Hurricanes faceoffs. Ottawa shut out Carolina 3-0 behind 32 saves from Linus Ullmark in December, but that was in revenge for a similar 4-0 victory for Carolina over Ottawa in late fall of 2024. Should there be any rivalry vibe between two teams who could potentially meet in a playoff series, it will be lessened by the presence of so many new faces on the ice.
Ottawa will ice a stronger lineup that includes some playoff-worthy line combinations. While the Hurricanes were resting seven players in Game 31, including Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho, the Senators were fighting OT battles with most of their lines intact, and continuing to build momentum for Round 1. "I'm just really proud of the guys, how we're all hanging in," Ottawa's Tim Stutzle tells ESPN's Kristan Shilton of this spring's Wild Card berth. "I don't think there's a team who deserves it more."
Carolina should not be a favorite after its performance in Montreal. It will take until the weekend to see the real Hurricanes again, making the Senators a great market on the moneyline.
