Ottawa Senators vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, 4/18/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ottawa Senators vs Carolina Hurricanes

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Location: Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Senators (+124) Hurricanes (-148)

The Ottawa Senators (44-27-11) are hitting the road to Lenovo Center on Saturday where they will go up against the Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7) in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The odds on this game have the Senators at +124 while the Hurricanes are priced at -148. The betting total comes in at 6.

The Ottawa Senators had a good night with a 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs their last time out. Ottawa garnered 4 penalty mins in this contest. The Senators had a middle of the road offensive output in the victory. Furthermore, they had 3 power play opportunities and netted 2 goals. In the game, they earned a goal on 3 of the 38 shots they looked to score on.

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With respect to their scoring capabilities, the Ottawa Senators have accounted for 275 goals (8th in pro hockey) over the course of the season and have allowed 245. For the year, they sit with 99 points and their points percentage sits at .604. Ottawa comes into the game with 263 power play chances and they have added 63 goals out of those advantages, giving them a percentage of 23.95%. At even strength, the Senators have allowed the opponent to score 188 goals while scoring 212 as an offensive unit. Ottawa has attempted 2,369 shots and holds a shot percentage of 11.6%. The Senators have had 2,000 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .878. Ottawa Senators opponents have totaled 236 power play opportunities (17th in pro hockey) and have notched 57 goals in those chances.

The man protecting the net in this game is Linus Ullmark. For his professional hockey career, Ullmark has tallied 207 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .627. He has a save percentage of .914 in his 15,543 mins guarding the cage. Ullmark has seen 9,758 shot attempts taken against him and he has 8,917 saves. Opponents have scored 841 goals versus Ullmark in his pro hockey career and his goals against rate is 2.55. He has amassed a mark of 191-99-34 and got the start in 330 games. Ullmark has taken the ice for 340 contests throughout his professional hockey career.

When they took the ice last, Carolina faced off against the Islanders in a game where the Hurricanes took home the win by a final of 2-1. They had 1 power play opportunity in this matchup but weren't able to score a goal. The Hurricanes tallied 2 goals out of the 21 shots on goal they attempted.

The Hurricanes have accumulated 231 goals at even strength and 60 goals (5th in hockey) while on the power play. Carolina has put up 2,637 shots (2nd in the league) and has a shot percentage of 11.04%, while allowing their opponents 1,961 shots. On the campaign, the Carolina Hurricanes are sitting with 291 goals, 113 points, as well as a points percentage of .689. They have permitted 236 goals to be scored by of a combination of 191 goals at even strength and 45 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have recorded 241 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 24.90%. They have a penalty kill rate of 80.52% on their opponents 231 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage is 88.0%.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Frederik Andersen in net. Opponents are averaging 2.57 goals per game and he has conceded 1,380 goals overall. Andersen's quality start percentage comes out to 55.9% and he has made 301 quality starts in his pro career. He got the starting nod in 538 games and his ice time sits at 27,489 minutes. Andersen has accrued a career record of 324-149-58 and has been in net for 552 games. He has recorded 14,476 stops out of 15,856 shots taken against him, giving him a save % of .913.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take Ottawa (+124)

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