The Carolina Hurricanes look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Ottawa Senators in this Eastern Conference Quarterfinal best-of-seven series. The puck drops Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST.

The Hurricanes are up 2-0 in this series because of their high-tempo style of play, relentless forechecking, and aggressive man-to-man defense. The Canes won Game 2, 3-2 in double overtime. Carolina blew a 2-0 lead in the second period, but got just enough puck luck to take care of business on home ice. The Hurricanes outshot the Senators 49-39, but lost in faceoffs 51-29 and were outhit 52-43. The power play was 1-for-1 and the penalty kill was 3-for-3 on stops. Jordan Martinook was the first star of the game because of the game-winning goal in overtime.

In Game 2, the Senators finally got on the scoresheet in this series and could have stolen home ice advantage, but fell short. Some of their top guys ended up with a negative plus/minus on the night, but Brady Tkachuk still had a great effort with six shots on goal. Like the Canes, the Senators are a defensive-oriented and physical team. They have been good at reducing high-danger scoring chances, but now it's time to get the offense going in the first period, play with a lead, and control the puck from there.

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Note: The above data was collected on April 23, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

Carolina Hurricanes 

Ottawa Senators 

In the regular season, Carolina was second in scoring, tied for fifth in goals against, fourth on the power play, and 11th on the penalty kill. Seth Jarvis led the team in goals. The Hurricanes were 24-12-5 on the road. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been dominant for Carolina, posting a 0.78 GAA and a .949 save percentage through two games. The Hurricanes' top-tier regular-season power play remains a constant threat that Ottawa must neutralize to stay alive.

In the regular season, Ottawa was eighth in scoring, 13th in goals against, eighth on the power play, and 29th on the penalty kill. Tim Stutzle led the team in goals, assists, and points. He is generating high-danger chances, but has yet to find the back of the net and is poised for a breakout at home. The Senators were 23-12-6 at home. Ottawa has won nine of their last 11 games at home and they are 0–10 all-time when trailing 2–0 in a series. Goaltender Linus Ullmark has been stellar and has kept the Senators competitive.

Best Bet: Senators Money line

So far in this series, it's been all about the physical defense and awesome goaltending. Both teams have a top-10 power play, with special teams helping the Canes in Game 2, so now the Sens need to convert on their chances. Ottawa will look to score the first goal, control the tempo, and make this a series.